Vikings’ Webster out with broken wrist

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They don’t come much tougher than TaraLee Webster, the ace pitcher for the Searsport softball team.

Webster found out Wednesday afternoon that she will be out of action for at least the next three weeks – which means she will miss the rest of the high school softball season – with a broken right wrist. Yes, that’s her throwing arm.

The junior actually broke the radius bone in her wrist in a May 15 game against Sumner of East Sullivan.

But amazingly, Webster pitched four more games with the broken bone.

No big deal, she said.

“I’m used to it. I’ve played through pain before,” Webster said.

There had been a slim chance the bone wasn’t broken, she added, but Wednesday’s trip to an Ellsworth doctor confirmed it.

Webster has been one of the top pitchers in Eastern Maine Class C. She had a 13-2 record before sitting out a May 25 game against Central of Corinth, which Searsport lost.

She had racked up 154 strikeouts in 15 games (10.2 strikeouts per game).

Webster injured herself when she tripped over Sumner’s second baseman while running the bases and landed on her arm. Webster left the game crying, but came back in and completed a one-hitter.

The Vikings’ next game was a loss to George Stevens of Blue Hill, also one of the top Class C teams in Eastern Maine. But three days later, Webster one-hit Penquis of Milo, striking out nine. She pitched a two-hit shutout of Bangor Christian on May 21 with 13 strikeouts. On May 23, she gave up 11 hits but fanned 11 and earned a 7-6 victory, also over Bangor Christian.

But by then Webster’s wrist was too sore to continue and she did not play against Central, Searsport’s final regular-season game.

“It hurt even when the wind blew on it,” she said.

Webster isn’t happy about missing the postseason, especially with the team playing well.

“I have next year, too,” she said. “But it’s disappointing, because we were going [into the playoffs] No. 1.”

Webster said two of her teammates, Lindsey Seekins and Nicole Shute, are filling in for her. They are working with Webster’s sister Sarah, a former Searsport and St. Joseph’s College star who is serving as an assistant coach to Mike Garcelon.

Snow, Woodsum return to action

While Searsport has lost one of its top players, the Bangor Christian and Narraguagus of Harrington softball teams each welcomed back a key player this week.

Patriot senior Kendil Snow, who missed five games with an ankle injury, returned to game action Tuesday. Knight senior Anne Woodsum practiced Tuesday for the first time in several weeks.

Woodsum missed eight games while dealing with what she thought was a flu bug, coach Elliott Noyes said, but turned out to be mononucleosis.

But doctors have cleared her to play.

“She was quite tired [Tuesday] but she has the OK to play so we were happy to have her back,” Narraguagus coach Elliott Noyes said Tuesday evening after practice.

The Knights certainly missed Woodsum, who had a .412 batting average and a .524 on-base percentage before sitting out. But they really would have missed her in the playoffs, because she can also pitch, although an old back injury doesn’t permit her to do so on a regular basis. The Knights have a strong ace in Ashley Woodward, but in the postseason it’s always good to have a backup.

Snow’s injury had her sidelined for five games, four of which were losses for Bangor Christian.

Like Woodsum, the Patriots needed Snow’s offense – she had an RBI single in a key victory over Lee Tuesday – but they felt the catcher’s absence in the field, too.

“She talks to us all the time, makes sure we know what we’re doing,” junior pitcher Kara Hartman said.

“She’s very intimidating [to baserunners],” senior first baseman Danielle Miller added.

Senior Heather Niles filled in for four games as the catcher, including Monday’s win over Southern Aroostook of Dyer Brook. Niles started in center field Tuesday.

“She’s been gracious to sit in there as a senior, with no experience, and fill that gap for me,” Bangor Christian coach Tom Obey said.

Jessica Bloch can be reached at 990-8193, 1-800-310-8600 or jbloch@bangordailynews.net.