Ironmen improve to first in senior baseball circuit

---

Seven games separate Chatham from the fifth-place Fredericton Simpson Royals

Logan Walsh, 14, celebrates with his teammates after scoring a run for the Chatham Miramichi Honda Ironmen during a recent New Brunswick Senior Baseball League game at Ironmen Field. Photo by BRIAN RICHARD/SUBMITTED

The Chatham Miramichi Honda Ironmen continued their hot streak last week in New Brunswick Senior Baseball League play, climbing to the league’s top spot after winning their fifth straight contest.

The Ironmen (15-8) improved to 9-1 in their last 10 games after sweeping the two-time defending champs, the Charlottetown Gaudet’s Auto Body Islanders, in a doubleheader July 26 at Ironmen Field. Chatham took the first game 6-4 before beating the Islanders (13-9) 8-2 in the second matchup.

The Ironmen also downed the Fredericton Simpson Royals 5-1 July 24 at home.

The Moncton Dixie Lee Mets downed the Saint John AJ’s Alpines 11-6 in the second game of a doubleheader July 24 at Memorial Field after prevailing by a 6-2 margin in Game 1. The Royals doubled the Alpines 4-2 July 26 in Fredericton.

The game scheduled for July 25 between the Royals (6-13) and Alpines (11-9) at Royals Field was rained out. No makeup date has been announced yet.

The Royals will visit the Ironmen Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. and take on the Alpines Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in Saint John. Chatham will host Moncton Thursday for a 7:30 p.m. start.

Junior league’s regular season ends

The New Brunswick Junior Baseball League wrapped up its 2025 regular-season schedule with a 14-5 victory for the Moncton-based Metro Mudcats (14-5) over the Fredericton Simpson Royals (7-12) in the first game of a doubleheader Sunday at Royals Field.

Results of the second game weren’t immediately available Sunday night.

That followed a 10-1 triumph for the Mudcats over the Royals July 24 in Fredericton.

Meanwhile, the Chatham O’Donaghue’s Ironmen (6-14) ended their regular season with a 12-7 loss to the Mudcats July 23 at Ironmen Field. The Royals beat the Saint John Doiron Sports Alpines (12-8) 14-10 July 23 in the province’s capital.

The playoff schedule hasn’t been released yet.

Capital City league’s season down to the wire

The Capital City Intermediate Baseball League saw seven games played in five days last week as the regular season approaches the finish line.

That stretch saw the Oromocto Veteran Farmer Pioneers (1-14) suffer a 21-6 shellacking at the hands of the Devon Boys Lawn Care Orioles (9-8) July 22 at Deer Park before losing 12-2 and 10-0 to the league-leading Grand Falls McCain Cataractes (17-2) in a doubleheader July 26 in Grand Falls.

The Fredericton Launchpad Sports Expos (6-10) also beat the Fredericton Nissan Astros (6-11) 11-1 July 22 at Royals Field, and the Cataractes downed the Woodstock Shiretowners (11-5) 9-2 at Veterans Field.

The Expos thumped the Orioles 19-4 July 24 at Fisher Field. The Shiretowners defeated the Astros 7-3 July 24 at the Dale Allen Field.

The game scheduled for Sunday between the Pioneers and Expos at Thompson Field was postponed. No makeup date has been announced yet.

This week, the Pioneers and Orioles will meet Monday at 6 p.m. in Oromocto while Grand Falls will take on the Expos at 7:30 p.m. at Royals Field. The Expos and Pioneers will hit the field Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Deer Park, and the Shiretowners will face the Orioles at 6 p.m. and the Astros at 8 p.m. at Royals Field.

Thursday’s matchups will feature the Orioles and Astros at 6:15 p.m. at Fisher Field and the Pioneers and Shiretowners at 7 p.m. in Woodstock.

Southern N.B. playoff race heating up

While the Dieppe Cardinals (14-3-1) are comfortably leading the Southern New Brunswick Baseball League standings, the other five teams are all jockeying for playoff positioning as the season enters the home stretch.

The latest week of action in the intermediate circuit saw the Saint John Mariners (9-7-1) topple the KV Red Sox (9-10) 13-10 July 23 at Wells Recreational Field and the Lancaster Stingrays (4-13) defeat the Hampton Guardians (4-11-3) 9-6 July 24 in Hampton. The Cardinals downed the Saint John Angels (11-7-1) 11-3 July 24 at Lakeburn Park.

The Angels blasted the Guardians 17-5 and 15-4 in a doubleheader July 26 at Senior Lions Field and the Mariners edged the Guardians 7-6 in Rothesay.

The Angels beat the Mariners 11-4 Sunday at Memorial Field.

Hampton will take on the Angels Monday at 7:30 p.m. at Memorial Field. The Mariners and Stingrays will do battle at 6:15 p.m. in Grand Bay-Westfield. The Red Sox will be in Dieppe Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at Lakeburn Park, and Hampton will visit the Cardinals Thursday at 8 p.m.
 

Three games left in Miramichi Valley league

There are three contests remaining in the Miramichi Valley Baseball League’s 2025 campaign, all with key playoff implications at stake.

The Newcastle A&B Lumber Cardinals (8-5-1) will visit the defending champ Tracadie Aigles (6-6-1) Monday at 7:30 p.m. before hosting the Chatham Head Tigers (5-7-2) Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. for their annual Wall of Fame night.

The Tigers will entertain the Dalhousie Dodgers (9-3-3) Tuesday at 8 p.m.

Last week’s showdowns included a 16-7 blowout win for the Aigles over the Tigers July 22 in Chatham Head, a 4-2 Dodgers triumph over the Cardinals July 22 in Dalhousie, an 8-6 Tracadie win over Newcastle July 23, and a 10-1 Dodgers victory over the Aigles July 24 in Tracadie.