AJAX, Ont. — When Canada’s men’s softball team won gold at the world championships in Saskatoon in early July, players couldn’t celebrate too hard. They had unfinished business to take care of.
With men’s softball back in the Pan American Games for the first time since 2003, Canada set its sights on keeping alive a tradition of domination. This team did just that, beating Venezuela 2-1 Saturday for Canada’s eighth gold medal in eight chances at the Pan Ams.
“It’s something that we’ve been planning for for a long time now, something we’ve been dreaming about,” said veteran right-fielder Jeff Ellsworth, who retired after the final. “All our hard work paid off.”
After beating the best in the world two weeks earlier, Canada put on a tour de force at this Games, going undefeated and outscoring opponents 35-14. Pitching was as strong as ever, and this proved to be one of the nation’s best hitting teams in history.
Canada has won men’s softball gold every time it has been contested: 1979, 1983, 1987, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003 and now 2015.
Centre-fielder Brad Ezekiel provided the heroics that finished off this gold medal: a two-run home run in the sixth inning that stood up as the game-winning blast. The 28-year-old from Harbour Main, N.L., hit four homers in the world championships but had some hard luck in this tournament until Saturday.
“It wasn’t my week at the plate, and I’m thankful to the coaches for sticking with me,” Ezekiel said. “I finally managed to catch a break, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.”
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