Newfoundland softball players back home with Pan Am gold
Newfoundlanders who led Canada's men's softball team to a gold-medal win at the Pan Am games over the weekend are back on home soil.
Canada beat Venezuela 2 to 1 on Saturday, giving Canada its eighth consecutive Pan Am Games title and two major championships in two weeks.
Five of the players on the national team are from Newfoundland and Labrador, and some of them landed at St. John's airport late Sunday afternoon.
Harbour Main's Bradley Ezekiel, who drove in both runs with a home run in the sixth inning in the final game, said the gold medal is especially sweet because he hasn't been happy with his batting lately.
"I was hitting the ball hard all games but I just wasn't finding a hole, but I managed to find one at the end and there was no better time to do it," he said.
"Just to get to the home plate and see all of their faces smiling was just great."
Other Newfoundlanders on the team include Sean Cleary, Ryan Boland, Jason Hill, Stephen Mullaley, and Les Howey.
Assistant coach John Hill of St. John's said he'll never forget that moment, or the world-class pitching of Sean Cleary.
"Sean stepped up to the plate. I think he has established himself now as one of the very best pitchers in the world," he said after getting off the plane on Sunday.
"He really came through in the semi-finals and the finals. He's come a long way and we are very, very proud to have him as part of our national team."