Bulldogs look for softball stranglehold Saturday

Kelly’s Pub Molson Bulldogs look to take a 2-0 lead in the Molson St. John’s Senior Men’s Softball League final in Game 2 of the series 1 o’clock Saturday afternoon at Lions Park.

Kelly’s won the opening game of the series Thursday night, 4-0 over the 3Cheers Bud Light Dodgers on Sean Cleary’s one-hit shutout. Cleary struck out 20.

Cleary, who tied his own senior league playoff record with 20 Ks in a seven-inning game, struck out the side in the first, third, fifth, sixth and seventh innings.

Jon Kelly homered for the winners.

The Dodgers won the 2018 city league championship after knocking off the Bulldogs in the semifinals. Prior to last season, Kelly’s Pub won five straight St. John’s senior men’s league championships.

Game 3 of the series is 1 p.m. Sunday at Lions Park.

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Gonzaga, Shamrocks, Feildians and Holy Cross are back on the diamond again Saturday as the Molson St. John’s Senior Baseball League semifinals resume at St. Pat’s Ball Park.

Shamrocks and Gonzaga played Game 2 of their best-of-five series Friday night at St. Pat’s. Shamrocks led 1-0 going into the game. In the other series, Holy Cross had a 1-0 lead on Feildians prior to Game 2 Friday.

Today at 1 o’clock, it’s Game 3 of the Gonzaga-Shamrocks series, while Holy Cross and the Double Blues meet in Game 3 of their semifinal at 3:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, the best-of-five semifinals in the intermediate circuit opened Thursday.

Dylan MacKenzie had two doubles, two runs scored and stole a couple of bases as Shamrocks beat Knights 6-4 in Game 1.

Michael Molloy (4.1IP, 7H, 4R, 4ER, 6BB, 1K, 1HBP) got the win, with relief help from Graham King (2.2IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 5k).

David Bugden (6.0IP, 7H, 6R, 3ER, 1BB, 4K) was tagged with the loss in an otherwise solid complete-game effort.

Nick French had two hits in a losing cause.

In the other series. Holy Cross Trinity Pub beat Feildians 3-2 in eight innings for a 1-0 series lead.

Jacob Reid (8.0IP, 4H, 2R, 1ER, 3BB, 6K, 1HBP) pitched the win. Starter Alex Curtis (6.1IP, 3H, 2R, 1ER, 4BB, 3K), the first of three Feildians pitchers, took the loss.

No batter in the game had more than one hit.

The semis resume Sunday at St. Pat’s. At 1 o’clock, Holy Cross plays Feildians, and Shamrocks and Knights tangle at 3:30 p.m.

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The Burin Peninsula Soccer Association’s girls’ under-13 team improved to 2-0 at the Atlantic U13 championship in Moncton, N.B. Friday, beating P.E.I.

Mckayla Forsey scored the game’s only goal, and Madison Chafe registered the shutout.

St. John’s wasn’t as fortunate, losing 1-0 to another P.E.I. squad to fall to 1-1.

It was a tough day on the pitch at the Atlantic boys U13 championship in C.B.S. as Mount Pearl was trounced 7-0 by Halifax County, Mount Pearl’s second straight loss.

Host C.B.S. carried an 0-1 record into a game against Codiac, N.B. later in the day.