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ORIGINAL STORY by Eric McCarthy
ALBERTON -- St. Lawrence P.E.I. native Jeff Ellsworth was wearing a gold medal around his neck Saturday as he bid adieu to Canada’s national men’s softball team.
© Softball Canada photos
Jeff Ellsworth, double gold
He was the second-to-last Canadian batter to step to the plate in Canada’s 2-1 Pan Am Games gold medal victory over Venezuela in Ajax Ontario, the next batter up after Bradley Ezekiel hit a mammoth two-run smash over the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth inning to put Canada out in front of the Venezuelans 2-0.
“To see him coming around third base, a big smile on his face, that was pretty big,†Ellsworth reflected..
He knew Canadian pitcher Sean Cleary, playing his second complete game in a row, could get the job done in the seventh.
“Oh, wow, you have no idea,†he commented on what he was feeling as he waited in the dugout for the tournament’s closing ceremonies.
Ellsworth laid down a nice bunt on the first pitch after Ezekiel’s homer to get to first with power hitter Steve Mullaley on deck. Mullaley, however, hit a line drive to shortstop and Ellsworth was “like a deer caught in the headlights,†trapped in a double play for the final out.
Cleary gave up a run on two seventh inning hits before the final out for Canadian gold on home field. They won five straight round robin games and two play-off games to win Pan Am gold 13 days after winning the ISC World tournament in Saskatoon.Â
Ellsworth suggested the two championships were equally large, the highlights of his 10-year run with Team Canada.
“They’re both pretty special,†he said, but admitted how Canada fought back from a 5-0 deficit against the defending champions from New Zealand in the gold medal final of the ISC and going on to win 10-5 was more dramatic.
Along the way, Ellsworth hit a couple of pivotal Pan Am home runs and had to but his glove to the test in right field, a good ending to his national team career.
His season is not quite over yet, though. He leaves Wednesday for Ashland, Ohio where he will join his club team, Hill United Chiefs in the ASA championship tournament. He will also play for the Chiefs in the ISC World Tournament which starts August 9 in South Bend, Indiana. The Chiefs are the defending champions of both tournaments.
In between those tournaments, Ellsworth will coach the P.E.I. ScotiaBank Reds in the Canadian Under 18 women’s championships in Montreal. With their tournament in Kensington rained out, his Reds surprised him by greeting him when he touched down at Charlottetown Airport Sunday afternoon. A few family and friends were also there to greet him.
Ellsworth, who received lots of texts from his Girls team during both tournaments, admitted he is hoping his results inspire them at the nationals.
While in Ajax, Ellsworth, who got his softball start on a ballfield in St. Lawrence, had about 15 relatives, including his mother and father, in the stands cheering him on all week. That also makes for a lasting memory, he admits.
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