North Vancouver’s Derek Mayson can call himself a world champion after helping Team Canada win gold at the WBSC Men’s World Softball Championships July 5 in Saskatoon.
The Canadians needed to win a pair of playoff matchups on the final day to claim the world title and did just that, blasting Venezuela 10-0 before coming back from a 0-5 deficit against the reigning world champions from New Zealand to score a 10-5 win in the gold medal game.
Mayson started at third base in the final and went 2-4 with a double. In eight tournament games he went 9-21 for a .429 average with one home run, two runs scored, three runs batted in, three doubles and two walks.
The gold medal win was Canada’s first since they defeated New Zealand, winners of six world championships, in 1992. Mayson and the rest of Team Canada are back in action now hoping to make it a double gold summer at the Pan Am Games.
