Dubuque got the best of Key West on Saturday evening in the first round of the Bellevue Tournament in the first of many meetings this season between the two titans of area semi-pro baseball. The Blues used the long ball to blow open a comfortable margin in the third inning on the way to a 7-1 victory. Dubuque has now won seven of the last 10 games against the Ramblers, who fell to 3-4 on the season.
Blues' shortstop Andy Danna cracked a three-run homer with one out in the third inning off of Key West starter Spencer Kuehn to boost their advantage to 5-0. Aaron Saeugling then belted a solo shot off Kuehn in the fourth to make it 6-0, providing more than enough support for Dubuque starting pitcher Mark Hennessey.
Kuehn was lifted for reliever Aaron Collins after four innings of work. Kuehn struck out six and allowed four earned runs on six hits and three walks. Collins fanned four Blues' hitters in his two innings on the mound.
The Ramblers got their lone run in the sixth inning when first baseman Chris Briggs plated shortstop Jayson Hinrichsen with a sacrifice fly. Briggs leads the team with seven RBIs on the season.
Hinrichsen went 2-for-2 with a double and a walk in his Key West debut. The Ramblers have now used 23 different position players already this season, while Kuehn became the sixth different player to start on the mound for Key West in 2013.
Dubuque got on top in the first inning with a pair of unearned runs, continuing an early-season theme. Rambler pitchers sport a solid 3.05 staff ERA, but they have suffered from a leaky defense that has allowed 13 unearned runs through the season's first seven games.
Key West will get two more shots at the Blues in the upcoming week. The two clubs will meet on Tuesday (7 p.m.) in a EIHL game in Peosta. They will then face off in another first-round tournament matchup on Saturday (7:30 p.m.) at the Farley Tournament.
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