By Steve Rice, Stratford Beacon Herald
Newfoundland 3Cheers Pub successfully defended its Canadian men’s fastball championship with a 5-4 victory over Scarborough Force in Sunday’s gold-medal game.
Brad Ezekiel’s leadoff home run off reliever Paul Koert in the bottom of the seventh inning lifted 3Cheers Pub to the 2013 title and left them as the only undefeated team throughout the tournament (8-0 in the round robin and 3-0 in the playoffs).
Click here to hear Kyle Smith and Joe Todd with the home run call on Ballpark Radio.
It appeared they might be headed to their first loss after Scarborough scored twice in the top of the sixth inning for a 4-3 lead.
But in the bottom of the sixth, after a leadoff single by Blair Ezekiel, the Force replaced starter pitcher Don Scott of Stratford with Koert. A walk and another single loaded the bases with one out, and the Force cut down the runner at the plate for the second out. But an error charged to shortstop Nick Dambrosio on a grounder by Shane Boland allowed the tying run to score.
Scott allowed two earned runs on five hits over five innings of work, walking none and striking out three. Winning pitcher Sean Cleary went the distance, allowing four earned runs on two hits with five walks and 10 strikeouts.
3Cheers Pub advanced directly to the final by defeating Scarborough 6-4 when the teams meet in a semifinal game Saturday night. They got to starter Paul Koert early, scoring four runs in the first inning and one in the second. Koert gave up six hits and a walk in one and two-thirds innings, with no strikeouts.
Sean Whitten and Sean Cleary combined to allow eight hits while striking out 12 for 3Cheers. Blair Ezekiel was 3-for-4 for Newfoundland.
Scarborough then had to defeat the Kitchener Cubs 10-7 on Sunday, a game that immediately preceded the gold-medal game. That marathon slugfest featured 25 hits, including five home runs, and saw the Cubs score three in the bottom of the seventh and bring the tying run to the plate before Koert got the final out to save the game for starter and winner Andy Skelton.