Helping out

Ellsworth wins third national championship Sunday with East Hants Mastodons

Alberton’s Jeff Ellsworth helped Nova Scotia win the Canadian men’s softball championship Sunday in Saskatoon, Sask.

The former Team Canada cocaptain was 2-for-3 as the East Hants Shooters Bar and Grill Mastodons defeated the defending champion Galway Hitmen 6-5.

“It’s a tremendous feeling. These guys here have been really, really dedicated to the Canadian championship through a lot of years,” Ellsworth said of the Mastodons. “They were really shooting for this gold medal and they’ve achieved their goal and now their defending champs.” He singled, walked, hit a home run, scored twice and drove in a run while batting leadoff and playing centre field at his first senior level tournament since 2015.

“As the tournament went on, the timing start to come back,” he said.

Ellsworth singled and scored on a Nick Shailes home run to give Nova Scotia an early 2-0 lead. The Hitmen tied it with two in the second and took a 4-2 lead after 2 ½ innings. Ellsworth hit a home run on a drop ball away, the first pitch he saw, to start the third inning.

“It felt really good to be back in those situations again,” Ellsworth said.

Jay Duffy followed with a solo home run to tie the game.

Nova Scotia struck for two in the fourth to take a 6-4 lead with Ellsworth walking in between Jonah Wright’s RBI double and Duffy’s sacrifice fly.

Brad Ezekiel hit a solo home run in the seventh to bring the Newfoundland squad to within one swing of tying the game, but Justin Schofield got Blair Ezekiel to ground out to short to end the game.

The Hitmen had won back-toback championships after the core was part of the 3 Cheers Pub Bud Light three-peat. Their roster dominates the national squad.

“In order to be the best, you want to beat the best,” said Ellsworth, who was part of 3 Cheers Pub’s first two titles. Duffy and Shailes each had a hit and drove in two runs for the Mastodons in the final. Schofield allowed fives runs on nine hits. He struck out five and walked two. Jason Hill allowed six runs on seven hits while walking three and striking out eight in the loss. Ellsworth and catcher Jason Sanford were the veterans on the Mastodons, who are hosting the event in 2018 in St. Croix, N.S.

“They’re going to be around for a long time,” he said.

The Halifax Jaguars are the last Nova Scotia team to win the national championship, accomplishing the feat in 1998 in St. Croix. The Brookfield Elks were the first, winning in 1980 in Saskatoon.