Ramblers grab win No. 30 at Dyersville Tournament

The Ramblers continued to make themselves at home at Dyersville's Jenk Field on Sunday night as they notched a 4-1 win over Farley in the first round of the Dyersville Tournament and improved to 30-8 on the season.

Few places have been friendlier to Key West this season than Dyersville - the site of the team's EIHL preseason championship back in May. It was May 21 when the Ramblers defeated Farley 7-1 in the championship game and took home the season's first tournament crown.

In a battle of top-area hurlers on Sunday, the Ramblers' Sean O'Connor got the best of Farley's Andy Seabrooke. O'Connor allowed five hits and only one run, while striking out six in a seven-inning complete game. With the victory, O'Connor moved to 9-1 on the season, placing him just one win shy of the team's single-season record (held by both Ben Cottrell and Ned Schauff).

At the plate, the Ramblers managed just four hits on the night, but made all of them count. Key West drew first blood immediately with a pair of runs in the top of the first. Dan Spain's RBI double scored Tanner Denlinger, who led off the game with a walk. Chris Briggs then connected on an RBI double of his own to plate Spain.

Key West added a tally in the third when Cory Davidson stole second and Spain swiped home on the throw to second. The Rambler lead held at 3-0 until Farley got its lone run in the fourth inning.

Denlinger followed that up with a solo shot to lead off the top of the fifth to make it 4-1. It was Denlinger's first career semi-pro home run.

Farley attempted to mount a rally in the bottom of the fifth as it put runners at second and third with only one away. O'Connor struck out Seabrooke before intentionally walking Chris Kerper to load the bases with two outs. Farley's Scott Harris then hit a dribbler in front of the plate. Catcher Matt Knabel pounced and beat the runner from third to the plate to get the force out and end the inning.

The Ramblers now advance to Wednesday's 8:30 p.m. quarterfinal game in Dyersville as they renew their rivalry with Dubuque. The two teams have split the first four games in the season series with three of those contests decided by a single run. Ben Cottrell and Ryan Doty are the expected starting pitchers for Wednesday night's duel.