Queen of the South stayed third in the Scottish Championship after a 3-0 victory over struggling Dumbarton. The hosts opened the scoring in the 31st minute when John Baird converted from the penalty spot after Lee Mair was penalised for handball.Dumbarton almost levelled two minutes after the interval, Kieran MacDonald seeing his shot tipped over by Alex Clark. However, the home side then killed off the game with two goals in as many minutes. Mark Durnan headed in a second from close range in the 69th minute before Derek Lyle nodded in his fifth of the season. Queen of the South's victory extended their unbeaten streak to four matches, keeping them seven points behind second-placed Rangers.