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.
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