Brad Ezekiel, Sean Cleary lead way at President’s Choice Ajax Pan Am Ball
Ajax News Advertiser
By Brian McNair
AJAX — A bizarre finish didn’t detract from the feeling of winning gold for the Canadian men’s softball team on Saturday, July 18 at the President’s Choice Ajax Pan Am Ballpark.
Brad Ezekiel blasted a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to lift Canada to its eighth straight men’s softball Pan Am Games gold.
That, combined with a three-hit, complete-game performance by pitcher Sean Cleary, gave Canada a 2-1 win over Venezuela and the gold medal.
The game ended in a melee as Canada catcher Ryan Boland tripped over batter Pedro Gonzalez as he rushed out to celebrate and both teams were heated for several minutes before handshakes ensued, but not involving all the Venezuelan players.
Afterward, Boland didn’t buy that being tripped was by mistake.
“I certainly don’t think it was an accident on their behalf, but you know, we have good rivalries with Venezuela,” said Boland, 27, one of several Newfoundlanders on the Canadian team. “They’re an emotional team, as are we. It’s unfortunate that that had to happen, but nothing really prevailed of it and we’ll still get our celebration tonight.”
Venezuela had scored a run in the top of the seventh and final inning to make the game interesting, but Cleary struck out Gonzalez for the final out before a packed and enthusiastic crowd in Ajax.
Ezekiel was the game’s hero, blasting an offering from pitcher Erick Urbaneja on a line well over the left-centre field fence right after Venezuela had made a substitution and reconfigured its outfield defence.
“In my head, I thought maybe they were going to come inside, to see if I turned on one and have a good outfielder and get it in quick,” said Ezekiel, also from Newfoundland, of what was going through his mind before his big swing. “But, at the point I was just see the ball, hit the ball and he managed to put one right over the middle of the plate and I got a good piece of it.
“I just hit it and put my head down,” he continued. “Once I heard the fans screaming, I knew it was gone.” Click here to continue reading at the Ajax News Advertiser.