Briggs shatters home run record in rout of New Vienna

Chris Briggs' seven home runs entering play on Sunday were enough to tie his own team single-season record set back in 2010. With three home runs in Sunday's 16-0 romp over New Vienna, Briggs shattered the Rambler home run mark and pushed his season RBI total to 43 (also a team record) with six more.

Briggs, who now has 10 home runs on the season, struck out swinging in the first inning when Key West (30-8, 12-1 Prairie League) pushed across a pair of runs to take an early lead. The Ramblers got two more in the second to go ahead 4-0 before the fireworks got started in the third inning.

That's when Briggs connected for his first home run of the day with a solo shot that made the score 5-0. Run-scoring hits by Deon Ploessl, Ryan Kelly and Chad Crabill gave Key West an 8-0 cushion and allowed Briggs to come to the plate for a second time in the frame.

With the bases loaded, the left-handed slugger crushed his second homer of the game to provide the Ramblers a commanding 12-0 lead and capped an eight-run inning.

But Briggs wasn't finished yet. After walking and coming around to score in the fifth inning, the first baseman got one more crack in the top of the seventh. With two outs and no one on base, Briggs clubbed a solo shot, making him just the second Rambler ever with three home runs in a game, and the first to accomplish the feat since Michael Jimenez did so on May 15 of last year in an 18-1 win over Placid.

Briggs finished 3-for-4. Four other Ramblers joined Briggs with multiple hits: Matt Knabel (3-for-5), Ploessl (3-for-5), Crabill (2-for-4) and Kelly (2-for-4).

On the mound, Aaron Collins shined in his third start of the season. He tossed a three-hit, complete game shutout that included 12 strikeouts. Collins is now 3-0 with 26 punch outs in 20 innings on the season.

Key West returns to action on Tuesday when it challenges Dubuque for the final time in league play. The game is set for 7 p.m. in Peosta. Key West and Dubuque have already met seven times this season with Dubuque coming away victorious in five of those contests.

Rambler Notes

-Two additions to the Key West schedule have been announced. The Ramblers have drawn Farley in the first round of the Dyersville Tournament. That game will be played Aug. 4 at 6 p.m. at Dyersville's Jenk Field. On Aug. 5, Key West will play at Bernard at 2:30 p.m. in a Prairie League make-up game. View the entire updated schedule HERE.

-The Ramblers will look to shake off a three-game losing streak when they travel to New Vienna for a 1:30 p.m. contest on Sunday. Saturday's scheduled afternoon Prairie League game was canceled due to a conflict for host Balltown. Instead, Key West (29-8) has been awarded a two-for-one for its 1-0 victory over Balltown on June 23 in the Worthington Tournament.

-A poor all-around showing resulted in a 7-6 upset loss to Worthington in the Ramblers' most recent game this past Tuesday night. Key West committed four errors and relinquished an early 3-0 lead. The Ramblers suffered defeat despite multiple hits from four different players, including two hits each from their top-three batters in the lineup. Spencer Kuehn took the loss in relief (despite four solid innings) of starting pitcher Nick Baldocci.

-The return of Sean O'Connor next week will give Key West a significant boost down the stretch. O'Connor, a former Clarke University standout, was the team's most reliable pitcher last season when he went 10-1 with a 2.36 ERA. In 18 innings of work this season, the right-hander has yet to allow an earned run and sports a 2-0 record, one save and 23 strikeouts.

-Despite the recent three-game slide, the Ramblers' .784 win percentage this season is an improvement from their .729 mark in 2011. Their current win percentage would set a new franchise record since Key West's return to semi-pro baseball in 2004.

-With an 11-1 Prairie League record and 9-2 EIHL mark, the Ramblers are on track to reach the playoffs in both leagues for the sixth-consecutive year, a claim that no other team can make. Key West won Prairie League championships in 2008 and 2011 and was runner up in 2009. The Ramblers have also been EIHL runner up in each of the last two seasons.

Dubuque tags Redman with first loss

Andrew Redman won each of his first seven starts in 2012, but saw his streak snapped Saturday night in a tough-luck 2-1 loss to Dubuque in the first round of the Cascade Tournament. It was the seventh meeting of the season between the two semi-pro heavyweights.

Key West (28-7) drew first blood in the top of the second inning when Justin Kuhle's RBI single off Aaron Saeugling drove home Spencer Kuehn with two outs.

Still leading 1-0 in the top of the fourth, the Ramblers missed out on a golden opportunity to add to their lead. Tim Carty and Kuehn led off the inning with back-to-back singles and then advanced to second and third with one out after a Nick Baldocci sacrifice bunt. But Saeugling struck out Redman and got Kuhle to fly out to center to end the threat.

Dubuque's B.J. Juergens tied the score in the bottom half with an RBI single. Dubuque appeared to have the makings of a big inning with two on and no out, but Redman retired three of the next four hitters to keep the game knotted, 1-1.

Andy Danna then struck for the game-winning RBI in the fifth when his one-out double provided the final tally.

The Ramblers failed to mount a late rally as Saeugling (14 strikeouts on Saturday) retired the final eight Key West hitters of the game to send Dubuque to the next round in Cascade. Kuehn, who went 2-for-3, was the only Rambler to notch multiple hits.

Redman finished with a six-inning complete game in which he allowed two earned runs, seven hits and three walks. The right-hander struck out five.

Saturday's contest marked the third time this season that Key West and Dubuque were paired in the first round of a tournament. Dubuque has won all three of those meetings. The Ramblers' last win over Dubuque came June 29 when they shutout the Blues 5-0 in the semifinals of the Worthington Tournament.

Key West's scheduled Prairie League game with Bellevue on Sunday afternoon was postponed due to Bellevue's tournament game at the Zwingle Fest. The Ramblers will return to action on Tuesday when they host Worthington in Peosta at 7 p.m.

Ramblers fall for first time in Prairie League

The Ramblers entered Thursday's Prairie League battle with Peosta sporting a perfect 9-0 league mark, but a cold night at the plate ended Key West's unbeaten run. Peosta's Zack Brautigam held the Ramblers to just three hits as he picked up the win on the mound in a 3-1 decision.

Missing its top power hitter in first baseman Chris Briggs, the Key West (28-6) lineup went scoreless through the first five frames of the seven-inning affair. Not until Justin Kuhle raced home on a wild pitch in the top of the sixth did the Ramblers tally their first run of the game to pull within 2-1.

Trailing 3-1 in the final inning, Key West went down quietly after Kenny Capesius walked to lead off the inning. Brautigam struck out Tim Carty with a man on first to end the game and snap the Ramblers' nine-game Prairie League winning streak, which dated back to Aug. 17 of last year when Key West lost 6-5 to Bellevue.

Peosta got on top of Rambler starting pitcher Spencer Kuehn early, getting two runs in the bottom of the first with the benefit of three-straight singles with one out. Peosta added one more run in the fifth to provide the final margin.

The loss was the first of the season for Kuehn, who dropped to 5-1. He went all six innings, allowing four hits, four walks and three earned runs in a six-strikeout performance.

Carty, Kuehn and Kuhle each collected a single for the only three Key West hits.

The Ramblers get back to tournament play Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in the first round of the Cascade Tournament where they face Dubuque once again. Key West is 2-4 this season against Dubuqe. Andrew Redman (7-0, 1.31 ERA) will get the start on the mound for the Ramblers.

Ramblers pull away late in victory at Epworth

The Ramblers were locked in a tight 3-3 battle with Epworth heading into the top of the seventh when Key West burst open the game with a five-run frame on the way to a 10-5 Prairie League road victory on Sunday afternoon. Key West (28-5) remained unbeaten in the Prairie League with a spotless 10-0 mark.

Tim Carty led off the seventh by getting drilled by a pitch prior to a Chris Briggs walk. Spencer Kuehn followed with an RBI single to edge Key West in front, 4-3. Andrew Redman then doubled in a pair of runs, Kenny Capesius singled home Redman and Dan Spain, Saturday's All-Star Game MVP, drove a sacrifice fly to center field to complete the five-run inning.

A bases loaded walk by Capesius and an RBI single by Austin Bradley in the eighth gave the Ramblers their final 10-5 cushion after Epworth had drawn back to within three with a run each in the seventh and eighth innings.

Spencer Kuehn earned the win in by firing the final four innings in relief of starter Ben Cottrell. Kuehn allowed two runs (one earned), five hits and two walks and struck out six. Cottrell worked the first five innings, showing dominant stuff with eight strikeouts, although he struggled with his control (six walks).

Third baseman Tim Carty had perhaps his best game of the season with a 3-for-5 day that included a double and his first home run of 2012. Carty also scored three runs and had an RBI. His solo shot to lead off the fifth briefly gave Key West the lead at 3-2.

Andrew Redman joined Carty with three hits of his own, including a double. Redman scored twice and drove in two runs. Chris Briggs continued his hot hitting with a 2-for-4 effort. Briggs' third-inning RBI single gave him 36 runs driven in for the season, eclipsing his own team record of 35 RBIs in 2010.

Key West has now won 13 of its last 14 games, a stretch that dates back to June 14. The Ramblers will put their unblemished Prairie League record on the line again on Thursday when they play Peosta at A.J. Spiegel Park at 7 p.m.

Spain named All-Star Game MVP

On the bright stage amongst the best semi-pro players of the tri-state area, Rambler shortstop Dan Spain showed why he's one of the top players in either area league. Spain collected two hits and reached base four times in earning MVP honors as he led the Eastern Iowa Hawkeye League to a 13-6 victory over the Prairie League on Saturday at Cascade's Legion Field.

With the victory in the 26th annual Telegraph Herald Semi-Pro All-Star Game, the EIHL improved to 6-4 in the 10 years of the league versus league format. Monticello pitcher A.J. Reuter picked up the win on the mound for the EIHL.

"This group of guys plays with intensity every time they play," Spain told the TH. "It wasn't the score we expected, but we come out expecting to win every time we play.

"Guys take it very seriously. It's an honor to be here, and we put it all together tonight."

Key West first baseman Chris Briggs and left fielder Cory Davidson also joined Spain in the starting lineup for the EIHL. Briggs went for 1-for-3 with a double while Davidson was 0-for-2.

Spain was the only member of the EIHL to record at least two hits. Ryan Hoerner (2-for-4) and Topher Scheeler (2-for-3) led the way for the Prairie League, which also got a home run from third baseman Chet Knake.

The EIHL put the game out of reach with a seven-run top of the seventh that made the score 13-2. The EIHL sent 12 hitters to the plate in the frame.

Statistics for Rambler All-Stars heading into Saturday's game:
Briggs: .414 AVG, 7 HR, 35 RBI, .472 OBP, .730 SLG
Davidson: .374 AVG, 1 HR, 17 RBI, 7 SB, .491 OBP, .462 SLG
Spain: .373 AVG, 3 HR, 26 RBI, 8 SB, .432 OBP, .525 SLG

2012 All-Star Game Rosters:

Eastern Iowa Hawkeye League
Coach: Jeff Hoerner (Dubuque)

Starters
Pitcher: A.J. Reuter (Monticello)
Catcher: Eric Banwarth (Rickardsville)
First base: Chris Briggs (Key West)
Second base: Alex Timmerman (Dubuque)
Shortstop: Dan Spain (Key West)
Third base: Kevin Carkeek (Dubuque)
Left field: Cory Davidson (Key West)
Centerfield: Marty Sutherland (Cascade)
Right field: Mike Canavello (Dyersville)
Designated hitter: Chris Kerper (Farley)

Reserves
Cascade: Tim Andrews, Pat Weber
Dubuque: B.J. Juergens
Dyersville: Austin Brown
Farley: Travis Olson
Rickardsville: Mike Leibfried, Tim Felderman
Worthington: Mitch Gotto


Prairie League
Coach: Ryan Hoerner (Epworth)

Starters
Pitcher: Eric DeSousa (Bernard)
Catcher: Matt McCollough (Bernard)
First base: Bobby Bean (Balltown)
Second base: Kyle Harris (East Dubuque)
Shortstop: Corbin Ploessl (Bellevue)
Third base: Chet Knake (Bellevue)
Left field: Ryan Hoerner (Epworth)
Centerfield: Travis Lyons (Zwingle)
Right field: Bill Albee (East Dubuque)
Designated hitter: Lincoln Gibbs (Epworth)

Reserves
Balltown: Ben Urbain
Bellevue: Pete Bonifas
Epworth: Don Grosser
Peosta: Aaron Hopson, Topher Scheeler
Placid: Jon Powers, Shawn Swenson
Zwingle: B.J. Althoff

Ramblers notch back-to-back EIHL wins

An EIHL victory on both Tuesday and Wednesday bumped the Ramblers to 27-5 overall and 9-1 in EIHL play. Key West knocked off Farley 4-1 on Tuesday and then followed that performance with a 6-3 win over Dyersville on Wednesday.

Rambler starting pitcher Spencer Kuehn pushed his mark to 4-0 with six stellar innings of work on Tuesday versus Farley. The right-hander allowed only one run and struck out 10 batters to go against four hits and one walk surrendered. Kuehn gave way after six to Cottrell, who pitched the final three innings to pick up the save.

First Baseman Chris Briggs continued his torrid hitting with a 2-for-4 effort that included an RBI single in the second inning. Briggs was the only Rambler to post multiple hits against Farley starter Casey Tauber.

Spencer Kuehn got Key West on the board in the first with an RBI single of his own. Spain then added an RBI base hit in the second prior to Briggs' run-scoring single. The Ramblers added an insurance run in the eighth inning.

On Wednesday, Briggs picked up where he left off with a 2-for-3 night that powered Key West to victory over host Dyersville. Briggs' eighth-inning blast put the Ramblers in front 4-3 and tied his own single-season record in both home runs (7) and RBIs (35). The game-winning homer also allowed Briggs' to break his own record of 78 total bases in a season set in 2010. He now has 81 total bases this season.

Andrew Redman improved to 7-0 in Wednesday's affair as the Ramblers moved to 3-0 versus Farley in 2012. Redman went seven innings allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks to go with his seven strikeouts. Spain earned the save with a scoreless eighth inning in relief.

At the plate, Redman helped his own cause with a 2-for-3 performance that included a pair of runs scored. Catcher Chad Crabill also went 2-for-3 in his first game serving as the lead off hitter.

Key West is back in action on Sunday at 1 p.m. when it travels to Epworth for a Prairie League game. The Ramblers are 9-0 in Prairie League play.

Sixth-inning outburst keys win over Zwingle

The absences of several key players from the Key West lineup on Sunday failed to stop the Ramblers from getting back into the win column. Designated hitter Sam Thies, a local prep standout, delivered the game-winning two-run single in the bottom of the sixth in a five-run frame that allowed Key West to rally for an 8-4 victory over visiting Zwingle at Table Mound Field.

A four-run fifth inning, punctuated by Travis Lyons' bases-clearing three-run double, edged Zwingle in front, 4-3. That lead held up until the sixth when Thies, playing in his first-ever game as a Rambler, sent Kenny Capesius and Deon Ploessl to the plate with a base hit to make the score 5-4. Both Capesius and Ploessl reached on walks to begin the inning.

After a Cory Davidson ground out, Key West (25-5) exploded for three more runs with two outs. Andrew Redman drove home Thies with a double, Dan Spain followed with an RBI single and Chris Briggs crushed a triple to deep right field to plate Spain and cap the Ramblers' scoring output on the day.

Davidson, working in his second inning in relief of starter Aaron Collins, sandwiched in a hit batter in a scoreless top of the seventh on the way to picking up his first victory of 2012. It was his second appearance on the mound this season.

Key West got on the board first with an RBI ground out from Austin Gasper. Spain then came through with the first of his two RBI singles in the third inning prior to Davidson's run-scoring single in the fourth.

Collins went five innings in his third appearance on the hill this season. He allowed five hits, three walks, four runs (three earned) and struck out four. Davidson tossed two shutout innings and fanned three.

Spain powered the Rambler attack with a 3-for-4 day that included two RBIs, a run and a stolen base. Davidson went 2-for-4 with one RBI, a run and a stolen base.

Briggs' sixth-inning RBI tied Spencer Kuehn for the team lead with 32. Briggs also leads the squad with six home runs, just one off his own team single-season record of seven homers in 2010.

Key West, now 9-0 in Prairie League play, returns to action on Tuesday when it hosts Farley at A.J. Spiegel Park in Pesota at 7 p.m.

Nine-game win streak snapped at Rickardsville Tournament

For the sixth time since May 13, the Ramblers took the field against Dubuque. Saturday's first round meeting in the Rickardsville Tournament resulted in a 6-3 loss as Blues' starting pitcher Mark Hennessy went the distance in a seven-inning complete game.

Key West (24-5) led 2-1 entering the fifth inning, but that's when Dubuque shortstop Andy Danna struck for a two-run homer that gave the Blues the lead for good as Patrick Kelly (brother of Ryan) made his debut on the mound for the Ramblers. Dubuque added two more runs in the sixth, taking advantage of back-to-back walks issued by Kelly to begin the frame. The Blues then pushed across their final tally in the top of the seventh on a solo shot by Aaron Wulfekuhle to put the game out of reach at 6-2.

After Kelly cut through Dubuque by facing the minimum in the top of the first, Key West drew first blood with Chris Briggs' team-high sixth home run in the bottom of the inning. The two-run blast was Briggs' third of the season against the Blues.

Left fielder Cory Davidson tried to spark a two-out rally in the seventh when he sent a 1-2 pitch from Hennessy over the wall for his first homer of the season. But Hennessy struck out Justin Kuhle swinging to end the game and advance Dubuque to the second round in Rickardsville.

Patrick Kelly went five-plus innings in his first semi-pro start, allowing five hits, four walks and five runs (all earned). He also struck out four in a losing effort. Ryan Kelly relieved his brother and recorded the final six outs for the Ramblers.

Briggs went a perfect 3-for-3 for Key West in bumping his season batting average over the .400 mark to .410. Davidson, Patrick Kelly and Matt Knabel each collected one hit as part of the team's six-hit effort.

The Ramblers were without two key bats with the absences of Dan Spain and Tim Carty on Saturday.

Wulfekuhle led the way for Dubuque, going 3-for-4 including a homer and a double. Danna finished 2-for-4.

The loss snapped a nine-game winning streak for the Ramblers, whose last defeat came on June 12 to Dubuque. Four of the team's five losses this season have come at the hands of the Blues, with three of those defeats occurring in tournament action. The two semi-pro heavyweights will meet again July 21 in the first round of the Cascade Tournament.

The Ramblers will look to get back to their winning ways on Sunday in a 1:30 p.m. contest versus Zwingle at Table Mound Field.

Schedule Notes

Three league make-up dates have been announced. Please make note of the following new dates and times:

-Saturday, July 28 at Balltown, 2 p.m.
-Monday, Aug. 6 at Farley, 7 p.m.
-Tuesday, Aug. 7 vs. Cascade (at Peosta), 7 p.m.

In addition, two first-round tournament dates have been announced. The Ramblers drew Dubuque in the first round of the Rickardsville Tournament. That game will be played on July 7 at 2 p.m. Key West will again battle Dubuque in the first round of the Cascade Tournament on July 21 at 8:30 p.m. The Ramblers are 2-3 versus the Blues this season, including a 1-2 record in tournament meetings.

To view the complete 2012 schedule, click here.

Ramblers take Worthington

For the first time since Key West's rebirth in 2004, the Ramblers are champions of the Worthington Tournament. After heart-breaking losses in each of its first two tournament championship game appearances this season, Key West used an offensive outburst on Saturday night to claim a 10-5 victory over Peosta in the title game.

"This was more of a relief championship than anything else," Dan Spain told the Telegraph Herald. "We're having one of the best years this team has ever had, we're 24-4, and it seems like most of those losses were in championship games. It's a relief to get over the hump.

"We don't even get to this game if it wasn't for the way Andrew Redman pitched (Friday night in a 5-0 semifinal victory over Dubuque). Dubuque has a stacked lineup, and that was one of the best-pitched games I've ever seen."

Redman fired complete-game shutouts in the Ramblers' 1-0 first-round win over Balltown and in the team's semifinal triumph over Dubuque. The right-hander's 14 innings of scoreless work in Worthington made him an easy choice for the tournament's Outstanding Pitcher award.

On Saturday, Ryan Kelly earned the win on the mound. He was backed by 2-for-4 nights by Nick Baldocchi and Spencer Kuehn. Spencer Radabaugh took the loss for Peosta.

The title at Worthington marks the team's fourth tournament championship since last season when the Ramblers claimed titles at the EIHL Preseason Tournament, the Farley Tournament and at the Prairie League Championships.

Key West advanced to tournament championship games this season at both the EIHL Preseason Tournament and at Bellevue, only to suffer walk-off losses in each instance. But Saturday, the moment belonged to the Ramblers once again.

"The key all tournament long was we scored runs in bunches," Kelly told the TH. "It's pretty impressive to score five runs against a team like Dubuque, then come back and score 10 more tonight.

"Then, it's just a matter of pounding the strike zone and letting your defense do the work behind you."

Key West's next scheduled game is July 8 versus Zwingle at Table Mound Field. First pitch is set for 1:30 p.m.