St. John’s senior playoffs underway

Last year’s finalists both win their playoff openers

The defending champion OMT Shamrocks and 2016 runners-up RMM Gonzaga Vikings have drawn first blood in the St. John’s Molson Senior Baseball League playoffs.

At St. Pat’s Ball Park Sunday, the Shammies and Vikings prevailed in a pair of well-played ball games featuring solid pitching.

In the first game Sunday, Shamrocks got an outstanding outing from Scott Goosney (7IP, 3H, 0R, 1BB, 3K) and a sacrifice fly from Dylan Mckenzie with one out in the bottom of the seventh, knocking in Mike Dyke with the winning run for a 1-0 win over Holy Cross Trinity Pub.

Game 2 of the best-of-five semifinal goes 6 p.m. Tuesday at St. Pat’s.

Justin Crawley (6.1IP, 6H, 1ER, 1BB, 3K) was the hardluck loser for the Crusaders. Gerry Stone pitched a third of an inning, giving up the sac fly to Mckenzie, but it was Crawley who was charged with the run.

Dyke finished the day with two hits, a single and a double. Steve Barrett collected two hits in a losing cause.

In the second game of the day, it was Dan Connors’ turn to shine on the mound, scattering three hits while fanning eight over seven innings in Gonzaga’s 5-0 win over the Knights.

Game 2 is 8:30 Tuesday night at Smallwood Drive Ball Park in Mount Pearl.

Gerald Butt had two singles for the Vikes off losing pitcher Jason Kearley (6IP, 8H, 5ER, 2BB, 6K).

Greg Sharpe was two-for-three in a losing cause.