Brad Ezekiel, Sean Cleary lead way at President’s Choice Ajax Pan Am Ball<\/p>\n
Ajax News Advertiser AJAX \u2014 A bizarre finish didn\u2019t detract from the feeling of winning gold for the Canadian men\u2019s softball team on Saturday, July 18 at the President\u2019s Choice Ajax Pan Am Ballpark.<\/p>\n Brad Ezekiel blasted a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to lift Canada to its eighth straight men\u2019s softball Pan Am Games gold.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Afterward, Boland didn\u2019t buy that being tripped was by mistake.<\/p>\n \u201cI certainly don\u2019t think it was an accident on their behalf, but you know, we have good rivalries with Venezuela,\u201d said Boland, 27, one of several Newfoundlanders on the Canadian team. \u201cThey\u2019re an emotional team, as are we. It\u2019s unfortunate that that had to happen, but nothing really prevailed of it and we\u2019ll still get our celebration tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Ezekiel was the game\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n \u201cIn 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,\u201d said Ezekiel, also from Newfoundland, of what was going through his mind before his big swing. \u201cBut, 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.<\/p>\n
\nBy Brian McNair <\/em><\/p>\n