Carty, Spain go deep in 7-4 win at Rickardsville

Tim Carty got the Ramblers on the board with a first inning solo homer and they never looked back on the way to a 7-4 road win over Rickardsville on Friday night. Dan Spain also popped a home run, giving him his first longball of the season.

Even more impressive was Spain's effort on the mound. He turned in his best pitching peformance of 2011, going seven innings and giving up only two hits and one unearned run. He tallied six strikeouts on the night.

After Carty's first-inning blast, Key West (29-8) continued to tack onto the lead against Rickardsville starter Ryan Mabe. The Ramblers got two in the second inning, highlighted by a Chad Crabill RBI single. Spain's two-run homer in the sixth made the score 5-0. Rickardsville got its first run in the bottom half of the sixth but the Ramblers added two more in the seventh on a two-run Cory Davidson single.

Jared Munson relieved Spain in the eighth inning. Munson's wildness and an error aided Rickardsville's three-run eighth as the scored tightened to 7-4. After the Ramblers failed to score in the ninth, Rickardsville made it interesting by loading the bases with three singles. But Munson coaxed a strikeout and a fly out to end the game and put Key West within two victories of the team record, set back in 2008.

Four Ramblers collected at least two hits in Friday's affair. Ben Cottrell remains the team's hottest hitter as he went 3-for-4. Spain also posted three hits and two RBIs. Carty and Davidson both went 2-for-5. Tim Felderman paced Rickardsville with a 2-for-4 night.

Saturday's scheduled game with East Dubuque was postponed, meaning the Ramblers next game is Sunday at 6 p.m. at the Dyersville Tournament against Farley.