BREWER – After 23 years of coaching and eight fruitless trips to the Eastern Maine Class C final, Narraguagus softball coach Elliott Noyes has his championship.

And it’s only fitting that the girl who led the way – who said earlier this season that she wanted to win the regional title for Noyes – was Ashley Woodward.

The applause at the award ceremony Thursday night at Brewer’s Coffin Field got a little louder when the senior pitcher went up to get her medal. Not only did Woodward hurl a two-hitter with 22 strikeouts, but it was her game-winning RBI in the bottom of the 11th inning that erased years of frustration.

Woodward smacked a two-out, 1-2 pitch into left-center, scoring Erica Mann and lifting the Knights of Harrington to a 1-0 victory over rival Calais.

“We did it, we finally did it,” Woodward said with a big grin. “He finally has one under his belt. He’s been here so many times and he hasn’t been able to win it, and I’m so glad we were able to bring it home for him.”

With the win, Narraguagus (19-1) will go to the Class C state championship game Saturday at Saint Joseph’s College in Standish.

The Blue Devils wrap up their season at 17-3, their only losses coming against the Knights.

“We were hoping just to come up here and make a good showing,” Calais coach Greg Smith said. “I have all the respect in the world for Elliott Noyes and that team. Over the last 10 years we’ve had some great games.”

It was a beautifully played game – a pitcher’s duel, really – in which there was just one error, only 10 hits for both teams, two walks, and a combined 36 strikeouts.

Getting Woodward to the plate with a runner on was the key. She went into the game with a team-high 33 RBIs and had singled earlier in the game, but neither team had many base runners to work with.

The bottom of the 11th started out that way, too. Calais pitcher Katie Frost struck out the first two batters of the inning, but Erica Mann hit a ground-ball single to shallow right-center.

The Knights needed a deep hit to score Mann, and that’s what Woodward gave them. Her shot sailed over the head of Blue Devil left fielder Jessica Whittaker and Mann chugged home. She was mobbed at the plate.

“I was just praying that it was hit harder than any of the other [hits],” Noyes said. “I was looking at it, saying, please, please go out.”

Not only did Narraguagus need the big hit, but they needed it at that point in the game. The first Calais batter due in the top of the 12th would have been Lanna Martin, who had one of the Devils’ two singles and had been intentionally walked in the ninth.

“That was a big concern of mine. I hate facing those guys,” Woodward said.

“I was hoping we’d have one more shot,” Smith said. “We had our chances.”

Whittaker had the only other hit for Calais, a single in the ninth.

Woodward only allowed five baserunners. She walked two and hit a batter.

“I knew I had to throw all my pitches like I knew how, because if I made any mistakes they would capitalize,” she said.

Frost, a fine pitcher in her own right, had a stellar game, allowing eight hits with 14 strikeouts and no walks. She did not allow a runner past second base until the 10th inning.

“She did a good job of moving the ball around, keeping it on the outside corner,” Smith said. “She was moving the ball, keeping them off-balance. That was one of her best games, right there.”

KNIGHTS 1, BLUE DEVILS 0

Calais (15-3) Narraguagus (18-1)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Whittaker, cf 4 0 1 0 Dublin, rf 5 0

Frost, p 4 0 0 0 Mann, dh 5 0 0

L. Martin, ss 3 0 1 0 Fitzpatrick, lf 0 0

C. Martin, c 4 0 0 0 Woodward, p 5 0 1

Doliber, 3b 4 0 0 0 Tenan, ss 4 0 0

Brown, rf 4 0 0 0 c-West 0 0 0 0

O’Brien, 1b 4 0 0 0 Woodsum, 1b 4 0 0

Driscoll, 2b 3 0 0 0 M. Barbee, 2b 4 0 0

Smith, lf 3 0 0 0 A. Barbee, cf 4 0 0

a-Thomas 1 0 0 0 Courchaine, 3b 2 0 0

b-Simmons 1 0 0 0

Strout, c 4 0 0 0

Totals 34 0 2 0 Totals 38 1 8 1

a-struck out for Smith in eighth, b-flied out for Courchaine in eighth, c-ran for Tenan in tenth

Calais 000 000 000 00 ? 0

Narraguagus 000 000 000 01 ? 1

E?Driscoll; LOB?Calais 5; Narraguagus 6; S?Frost;

Calais IP H R ER BB SO

Frost (L, 15-3) 10 2/3 8 1 1 0 14

Narraguagus IP H R ER BB SO

Woodward (W, 18-1) 11 2 0 0 2 22

HBP?Driscoll by Woodward; WP?Frost; Woodward 3; T?1:52; ATT?300 (est.)