Parker shuts out Rickardsville as Ramblers continue series dominance

The Ramblers continued their recent run of dominance in the series against Rickardsville, winning for the eighth time in the last nine meetings between the two squads. Key West defeated Rickardsville 2-0 on Sunday night behind a masterful performance on the mound from Shawn Parker (pictured). The Ramblers (15-13) ran their EIHL mark to 4-3.

Parker went all nine innings on the way to a six-hit shutout in Rickardsville. He had little trouble with most of the Rickardsville lineup except for No. 3 hitter Ryan Jantz, who went 3-for-4. Parker allowed more than a single hit in an inning just once and struck out seven of the 33 hitters he faced. He walked only three.

First baseman Chris Briggs came through in a starring role at the plate with a 3-for-3 night that included an RBI, a run and a walk. He added an insurance run with an RBI single in the fifth inning.

Crabill plated the game's first run with a run-scoring fielder's choice in the second inning to give Key West a lead it would never surrender against Rickardsville hurler Aaron Schwoebel.

Monday: Farley 8, Key West 2

Farley remained hot and tagged Rambler starter Anthony Ruden for eight runs to pick up an 8-2 victory over Key West in a Prairie League matchup at Farley on Monday. The Ramblers' Prairie League record dropped to 8-3.

Key West mustered only two runs despite piling up nine hits in the seven-inning affair. Austin Bradley busted loose for a 2-for-3 game with two doubles. He scored a run and nearly drove home a run, but Crabill was cut down at the plate in the sixth on Bradley's second double.

A key play came in the top of the fifth with Key West trailing 4-2 with the bases loaded and Briggs in the batter's box. Briggs lined right to the second baseman, who completed a double play (4-6) by catching Spain off of second to end the threat.

The Ramblers went down 1-2-3 in the seventh to finish the game.

Both Craig Kerper (2-for-2) and Mike Pudlo (2-for-4) collected two hits for the victors.

UP NEXT: The Ramblers return to EIHL play on Tuesday as Worthington visits A.J. Spiegel Park in Peosta for a 7 p.m. tussle.

Tournament pairings revealed for Dyersville, Peosta

Pairings for the final two town tournaments of the 2013 season have been revealed. In the first round of the Dyersville Tournament, Key West will take on Dubuque at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 4. In the opening round of the Peosta Tournament, the Ramblers draw Cascade at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 18.

Check out the complete Peosta bracket HERE. The Dyersville Tournament bracket will be posted when available.

Ramblers split two on the week

The Ramblers got a dose of both EIHL and Prairie League action this past week as they split a pair of games. After falling 6-1 to Farley on Tuesday, Key West (14-12) rebounded with an 11-1 pounding of East Dubuque (2-for-1) on Thursday for its seventh win in its last 10 games. The Ramblers are now 8-2 in Prairie League contests and 3-3 in EIHL play.

Led by an 11-hit attack, the Ramblers piled up a big early lead thanks to a six-run second inning against East Dubuque. Every single hitter in the Key West lineup recorded at least one hit on the day with Matt Bedell (2-for-4) and Dan Spain (2-for-5) leading the way. Both Spain and Cory Davidson drove in two runs.

Matt Lozano worked all seven innings on the mound to move to 5-1 with a 2.40 ERA in a team high 48.2 innings on the season. He limited East Dubuque to one run (earned) on five hits and two walks while striking out three.

Earlier in the week, Key West fell to a hot Farley team in EIHL play. The Ramblers got their only run in the first inning before going silent with the bats the rest of the way. No Rambler notched more than a single hit as Key West tallied just four hits as a team.

Jordan Hohensee appeared for the second time this season on the mound for the Ramblers and threw all seven innings. He allowed six runs (three earned) on eight hits and two walks. He fanned two.

The week was a microcosm of the season as Key West has now scored 10 or more runs eight times this season and two runs or less on nine occasions.

Matt Knabel went 1-for-2 with a walk in Tuesday's game to raise his average above .300 to .305. He is 6-for-11 over his last three games.

The Ramblers now look forward to Sunday's 7 p.m. EIHL battle at Rickardsville.

Schedule Note: The Ramblers have rescheduled a game with Monticello and will now play at Monticello on Aug. 8 at 7 p.m.

Ramblers fall from Cascade Tourney; defeat New Vienna

The Ramblers' offensive struggles in tournament play continued on Friday night as Bellevue edged Key West, 2-1, in the first round of the Cascade Tournament. Rambler hurler Andrew Redman fell for the second-straight time despite firing another solid six innings.

Bellevue got its only runs in the bottom of the third, answering Key West's (12-11) lone run in the top half of the frame. Bellevue ignited with three-consecutive hits from its Nos. 2 through 4 spots in the lineup to plate the pair of runs. Redman allowed just five hits, but four of them came in the second inning.

The Ramblers briefly held the lead when Dan Spain's RBI ground out made it 1-0 in the third. Spain had come to the plate with runners on second and third and one out following a single by Jose Stelluti and a double by Tanner Denlinger. Denlinger ended up stranded on third base after Bellevue's Pete Bonifas got Tim Carty to chop out to third to close the inning.

Redman (4-2, 2.43 ERA) finished with three strikeouts while limiting Bellevue to five hits and one walk.

Bonifas earned the victory, holding Key West to only four hits.

Key West 9, New Vienna 2

The Ramblers returned to action for a Sunday matinee and despite a sluggish start, posted a 9-2 Prairie League victory. With the win, Key West ran its Prairie League mark to 6-2 as it looks to defend its 2012 league title.

New Vienna scored a run apiece in the first and third innings to jump out to a 2-0 advantage after three innings. The Ramblers did not score until the fourth and did not grab the lead until pulling in front, 3-2, in the fifth.

Key West finally exploded for six runs in the top of the seventh to put the game away. The inning featured seven Rambler hits, punctuated by Deon Ploessl's home run that made it 8-2 with two outs in the game's final inning.

Even with the slow offensive start, Key West managed to pound out 18 hits as six Ramblers collected two or more hits. Jason Hinrichsen led the way with a 4-for-5 effort out of the leadoff spot. Other Ramblers with two or more hits included: Matt Bedell (3-for-4), Matt Knabel (3-for-5), Chris Briggs (2-for-4), Ploessl (2-for-4) and Justin Kuhle (2-for-5).

On the mound, Jose Stelluti got his first career start with the Ramblers and did not allow a single earned run in his seven-inning complete game. He struck out 10 and allowed only three hits and three walks.

UP NEXT: Key West will shift to EIHL action on Tuesday night when it hosts Farley at 7 p.m. at A.J. Spiegel Park in Peosta.

Offense explodes as Ramblers pummel Cascade

The Ramblers put behind a frustrating loss to Dubuque in the Rickardsville Tournament and won going away over Cascade in Peosta on Tuesday evening. A hot Cascade team that has enjoyed a resurgent season could not recover from Key West's six-run second inning as the Ramblers (11-10) won 13-3 in six innings.

Cascade actually jumped out to a 2-0 lead after two innings, but Key West then struck with a big inning that set the tone for the game. Eleven Ramblers came to the plate in the second as part of a six-run, four-hit frame that included two walks and two hit batters. Tanner Denlinger and Chris Briggs both notched RBI doubles to help get the Rambler offense back on track.

Key West then added three runs in the third, one in the fourth, two in the fifth and one in the sixth to end the game by the 10-run rule. The Ramblers tallied at least one run in every inning except for the first in support of starting pitcher Matt Lozano (pictured).

Dan Spain (2-for-3, one run, one RBI), Denlinger (2-for-4, three runs, two RBIs) and Matt Knabel (2-for-4, one run, two RBIs) each recorded two hits for Key West. Briggs went 1-for-1 with three walks and three RBIs.

Lozano threw all six innings move to 4-1 while picking up his third complete game of the season. He allowed three earned runs on seven hits and a walk. He struck out eight, bumping his team leading punch out total to 47 in 41.2 innings.

Both McCullough (3-for-3) and Dan Lynch (2-for-3) registered multiple hits for visiting Cascade.

The Ramblers have now scored 10 or more runs on seven occasions this season. On the other hand, Key West has been held to two runs or less seven times.

The Ramblers are back in action on Friday night in the first round of the Cascade Tournament. Key West will challenge Bellevue with first pitch slated for 8:30 p.m.

Ramblers climb above .500

Surprisingly, Sunday marked the first time all season that the Ramblers have been above .500 overall. Key West pounded both East Dubuque (12-2 on Saturday) and Placid (13-3 on Sunday) to push its record to 10-9. The win over East Dubuque advanced the Ramblers to the quarterfinals of the Rickardsville Tournament, while the victory over Placid bumped Key West's Prairie League record to 5-2.

Four Ramblers tallied at least two hits as Key West won decisively in the first round at Rickardsville. Catcher Jose Stelluti (pictured) led the way with a 3-for-3 effort that included a pair of RBIs. Meanwhile, Chris Briggs ended a power drought by drilling a two-run homer (team-leading second homer) in the third inning that gave Key West a 4-2 lead.

The Ramblers put the game well out of reach with a seven-run fourth inning that featured an RBI double from Briggs and run-scoring hits by Tim Carty, Matt Knabel, Stelluti and Dan Spain.

The outburst helped make a winner out of lefty starting pitcher Matt Lozano. He threw all five innings in the run-rule shortened affair to move his mark to 3-1. He allowed two runs (both earned) on seven hits and a walk while striking out two.

Key West 13, Placid 3 (7 innings)

The Ramblers continued the weekend run-scoring binge by clubbing Placid in another game decided by a run rule. Key West wasted little time in jumping out to a 4-0 lead by batting around in the first inning that was aided largely by the wildness of Placid pitching and shaky defense.

The Ramblers tacked on two more runs in the second and four in the third for a comfortable 10-1 advantage. Both Spain and shortstop Andrew Redman turned in three-hit days in what was Redman's first start this season other than on the mound.

Left fielder Cory Davidson stayed hot, connecting for a double and a triple to fuel a pair of RBIs. Trent Bollman made his Rambler debut and went 2-for-2 while reaching base in all four plate appearances.

Spain took the ball on the mound and navigated six innings despite giving up six hits and five walks. He flashed outstanding stuff as evidenced by his 10 strikeouts. He got his first win of the season.

Key West has now scored 10 or more runs six times this season. The Ramblers are averaging 6.2 runs per game through 19 contests. They have now won five of six games, during which they have out-scored opponents 39-18.

Up Next: The Ramblers get another shot at rival Dubuque on Tuesday night in the quarterfinals of the Rickardsville Tournament. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. from Rickardsville. Dubuque advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating Epworth 7-0 on Saturday night. Mark Hennessy pitched a seven-inning complete game shutout for the Blues. With Hennessy throwing on Saturday, Aaron Saeugling would appear to be the likely starting pitcher for Dubuque on Tuesday. Key West will counter with ace Andrew Redman.

Carty and Spain selected to semi-pro all-star game

Both Tim Carty and Dan Spain will represent the Ramblers in the 26th annual Telegraph Herald Semi-Pro All-Star Game. Carty and Spain will both hold down spots in the starting lineup for the Eastern Iowa Hawkeye League, as announced on Tuesday. The game will be played Saturday, July 13 at 6:30 p.m. at A.J. Spiegel Park in Peosta.

At last season's all-star contest, Spain took home MVP honors after collecting a pair of hits in a 13-6 victory over the Prairie League at Cascade's Legion Field. Chris Briggs and Cory Davidson also appeared in the all-star game for Key West in 2012. In addition, both Briggs and Davidson garnered selections in the 2011 all-star game along with former Rambler Jared Munson.

ALL-STAR ROSTERS

Eastern Iowa Hawkeye League

Coach: Jeff Hoerner, Dubuque

P: Russ Bolibaugh, Dyersville

C: Ben Ogden, Worthington

1B: Aaron Wulfekuhle, Dubuque

2B: Brian Miller, Farley

3B: Tim Carty, Key West

SS: Dan Spain, Key West

LF: Noah Mahlik, Dubuque

CF: Nathan Hall, Rickardsville

RF: Mitch Monk, Monticello

DH: Tim Andrews, Cascade

Reserves:

Roamn Hummel, Cascade

Andy Danna, Dubuque

Austin Brown, Dyersville

Ben Zitelman, Dyersville

Andy Seabrooke, Farley

Travis Olson, Farley

Connor Grant, Rickardsville

Eric Banworth, Rickardsville

Prairie League

Coach: Gary McAndrew, Peosta

P: Pete Bonifas, Bellevue

C: Matt McCullough, Bernard

1B: Brett Featherston, Epworth

2B: Ben Urbain, Balltown

3B: Chet Knake, Bellevue

SS: David Rodriguez, Bernard

LF: Ryan Lehmann, Peosta

CF: Bill Albee, East Dubuque

RF: Ryan Jantsch, Zwingle

DH: Travis Lyons, Zwingle

Reserves:

Steve McDonough, Balltown

Jared Koos, Bellevue

Carlo Rivera, Bernard

Kyle Harris, East Dubuque

Jaime Ballesteros, Epworth

Aaron Hopson, Peosta

Zack Brautigam, Peosta

Shawn Swenson, Placid