Season comes to end with loss at Peosta Tournament

A sometimes frustrating 2013 season came to an end on Sunday afternoon in the first round of the Peosta Tournament at A.J. Spiegel Park. Cascade topped the Ramblers 7-1 in another sloppy affair, dropping Key West to a final overall mark of 20-20 on the year.

Andrew Redman started on the mound for Key West and looked sharp in holding Cascade scoreless through the first three frames. He struck out the side in both the first and second innings on the way to a nine-strikeout game. Cascade eventually put two on the board in the fourth with the help of a giving Rambler defense.

The Reds tagged Redman for six hits over their final two innings at the plate to tack on five more runs to put the game out of the reach of a struggling Rambler offense. Key West's offensive woes in tournaments continued as Pat Weber started on the hill for the Reds.

The Ramblers only run came in the fifth when Anthony Ruden cracked an RBI double. That was one of only four hits on the game for Key West, which managed just four runs over its final four tournament games of the season.

Other than offensive struggles in big games, the Ramblers also were victimized by poor defense throughout the season. Key West let in three more unearned runs on Sunday, bringing the season total to 44. In other words, 33.6 percent of the 131 runs scored by Rambler opponents in 2013 were unearned.

Cory Davidson finished the 2013 season as the team batting champion with a .359 clip in 25 games. Chris Briggs led the Ramblers with 30 RBIs and a .462 slugging percentage. Redman paced the team in most pitching categories, including wins (6 - tied with Matt Lozano), innings (61), strikeouts (65) and lowest batting average against (.194).

After qualifying for the playoffs in both the EIHL and Prairie League the past six years running, the Ramblers failed to reach the championship bracket of either league this season.

Redman shuts out Farley as Ramblers roll

Piggy-backing on Kenny Capesius' seven scoreless innings of work on Saturday, ace right-hander Andrew Redman tossed a seven-inning complete game shutout at Farley on Monday night. That performance propelled Key West (20-19) to a 7-0 victory over Farley and pushed it back over .500 on the season. With the win, the Ramblers finished 7-7 in EIHL games.

The game remained scoreless until the fourth when Dan Spain doubled and Chris Briggs singled to drive in the Rambler shortstop. The RBI gave Briggs 30 for the year, marking his fourth-consecutive season with 30 or more RBIs.

Key West then got one in the fifth, two in the sixth and three more in the seventh to provide Redman plenty of breathing room. Matt Bedell enjoyed another nice game with two hits in four at bats. He cracked an RBI single each in the sixth and seventh to increase the cushion.

Gabe Wingert (2-for-4) and Briggs (2-for-4) joined Bedell as Ramblers with two hits in the game.

Redman held Farley to only four hits and a walk. He struck out eight on the way to boosting his record to 6-3, tying him with Matt Lozano for the most wins on the team. Redman carries a 1.96 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 55 innings this season.

After reaching the playoffs of both the EIHL and the Prairie League the last six years running, the Ramblers have failed to qualify for either championship bracket this season. Key West captured Prairie League titles in 2008, 2011 and 2012 and was runner up in 2009. The Ramblers were also EIHL runner up in 2010 and 2011.

Key West will be in action on Sunday in the first round of the Peosta Tournament - the final town tournament of the 2013 season. The Ramblers take on Cascade at 1 p.m. at A.J. Spiegel Park.

Capesius shines in first career start on mound

Behind a sterling performance by Kenny Capesius on the mound, Key West (19-19) salvaged a split of its pair of weekend games. Capesius made his first ever start on the hill and led the way for a 9-2 victory over Peosta on Saturday afternoon. That performance allowed the Ramblers to rebound from a 6-2 loss at Cascade on Friday night.

Capesius worked seven innings before being relieved by Austin Bradley for the final two frames. Capesius allowed just five hits and did not walk a single hitter. He recorded eight strikeouts in the process of keeping Peosta scoreless throughout his seven innings. The Cornell College product really got rolling in the fourth when he struck out the side during a string of four-straight strikeouts.

The Ramblers backed Capesius with plenty of offense with seven different players driving in at least one run. Most of that damage came in the fifth inning when Key West ignited for six runs to make the score 9-0. The Ramblers got four straight hits (Jose Stelluti, Matt Bedell, Trent Bollman and Ben Oglesby) from their 6-7-8-9 hitters to highlight the frame.

Bollman and Stelluti were joined by Chris Briggs and Gabe Wingert as Ramblers who posted two hits apiece. Bedell knocked in a pair of runs.

Peosta got one run each in the eighth and ninth innings off of Bradley, who also worked an inning the night before at Cascade.

Cascade 6, Key West 2
Prior to Capesius' debut as a starting pitcher on Saturday, Brian Cross donned the Rambler blue for the first time on Friday night at Cascade. He worked quickly through the first two innings, but the Reds managed to get to him the next time through the lineup.

Cross went seven-plus innings, allowing six runs (all earned) on 13 hits and five walks. He struck out four.

Cascade's Tom Andrews delivered the big blow in the game with a two-run homer to boost the Red's advantage to 5-2 in the bottom of the seventh. Key West had cut its deficit to a single run by scoring twice in the top of the seventh.

Capesius put together a solid night at the plate, going 2-for-4. He drove in both Rambler runs with a two-run single to score Chad Crabill and Stelluti. Crabill went 3-for-4 with a run.

Miss Key West wins Dyersville Queen Pageant: Halie Denlinger, the younger sister of Rambler center fielder Tanner, took home the crown at Friday's Dyersville Queen Pageant while representing Key West. She is the first Miss Key West ever to earn the distinction.

UP NEXT: The Ramblers will play Monday at Farley in an EIHL game. First pitch is slated for 7 p.m.

Hohensee goes the distance in Rambler victory

Jordan Hohensee fired a nine-inning complete game in leading Key West (18-18) to a 4-2 EIHL victory at Monticello on Thursday night.

Making just his second start of the season, Hohensee stayed in control throughout the night with impeccable command. He struck out eight and did not walk a single hitter. The Clarke University hurler allowed only one earned run on seven hits.

The Ramblers got on top immediately thanks to a first-inning error that allowed Dan Spain to score on Chris Brigg's grounder to short. Spain had singled to lead off the game.

Key West got the rest of its three runs in the sixth, highlighted by Austin Bradley's two-run triple to score both Cory Davidson and Briggs. Bradley trotted home when the next hitter, Chad Crabill, delivered an RBI grounder to second.

Hohensee worked out of trouble in the eighth inning to secure the two-run advantage. With one run already in, Monticello placed runners on first and second with just one out. Hohensee then induced a strikeout and a fly out to center to extinguish the threat on the way to earning his first victory as a Rambler.

Bradley (2-for-4) and Davidson (2-for-5) collected two hits apiece for the victors.

Key West returns to action on Friday when it travels to Cascade to take on the Reds in an EIHL duel. First pitch is set for 7 p.m.

Dubuque eliminates Key West from Dyersville Tournament

In a battle of aces in the first round of the Dyersville Tournament, Dubuque's Mark Hennessy got the best of the Ramblers' Andrew Redman as the Blues shut out Key West, 2-0, on Sunday evening. The Ramblers (17-16) fell once again to Dubuque despite holding a 6-4 advantage in the hit column.

The Blues got on top in the first with Andy Danna's sacrifice fly and then added a third-inning run thanks to Kevin Carkeek's RBI single. Redman shut down Dubuque the rest of the way, but the Rambler bats failed to cash in with runners in scoring position.

Key West had opportunities with two men on base in each of the second, sixth and seventh innings. Back-to-back two-out walks in the seventh by Cory Davidson and Dan Spain gave the Ramblers life, but Tim Carty was fanned to end the threat.

Davidson continued his fine work in the leadoff spot. His first inning single extended his stretch of reaching base to 10-straight plate appearances over four games (6-for-6 with four walks). That streak was snapped in the third when he struck out. Davidson finished 2-for-3 with a walk.

Redman threw all six innings, allowing two runs (both earned) on four hits and three walks. He struck out six.

Bernard 6, Key West 4

The Ramblers also fell on Saturday to Bernard in a Prairie League game played at Cascade. Bernard got all six of its runs in the first inning and held on for a 6-4 victory.

Kenny Capesius' excellent outing (5.1 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 2 BB, 5 K) in relief gave the Ramblers a chance despite the nightmarish start.

Key West made things interesting with a pair of runs in the seventh after entering the inning down 6-2. However, Gabe Wingert and Austin Bradley were retired to end the game while representing the tying run.

Three Ramblers collected two hits apiece: Matt Bedell (2-for-2), Austin Bradley (2-for-4) and Anthony Ruden (2-for-4).

UP NEXT: The Ramblers hit the road to take on Dyersville at 7 p.m. on Monday in an EIHL two-for-one battle.

Pitching leads Ramblers to pair of league victories

Key West continued its hot late-season play by grabbing league victories on Tuesday and Wednesday - both at A.J. Spiegel Park in Peosta. The Ramblers (17-13) defeated Worthington, 8-1, in an EIHL game on Tuesday prior to a 3-0 Prairie League victory over Balltown on Wednesday. The wins moved Key West to 5-3 in the EIHL and 9-3 in the Prairie League.

A three-run first allowed Key West to quickly take control in the triumph over Worthington. Dan Spain and Chad Crabill collected an RBI each in the inning and Chris Briggs drilled a triple. Briggs would finish 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run.

That would prove to be all the run support lefty Matt Lozano would need. He went the distance for his fifth complete game of the season and struck out 10. He surrendered one run (earned) on six hits and a walk on the way to pushing his record to 6-1. He leads the team with 55.2 innings this season.

Left fielder Corey Davidson enjoyed an excellent game in the leadoff spot. He reached base all four times, going 2-for-2 with a pair of walks. He also scored twice.

In addition, right fielder Austin Bradley collected his second-straight two-hit game. He singled twice and was hit by a pitch.

Seven different Ramblers notched at least one hit as part of a 10-hit attack.

Key West 3, Balltown 0

The Ramblers returned to action the next night and rode the powerful right arm of Andrew Redman. The Clarke University standout tossed five innings and faced just two over the minimum, allowing two hits (both singles). Redman pushed his record to 5-2 in his seven starts this season.

The game stayed scoreless until the bottom of the fourth when Briggs doubled home Davidson. Crabill's ground out to short plated the second run of the frame to make it 2-0.

The Ramblers added one more run in the sixth and then watched Spain lock down his third save of the season. Spain faced only six hitters over his two innings in relief of Redman.

Davidson again went 2-for-2, while also working a walk. He has now reached base in nine-straight plate appearances, spanning three games. He is 5-for-5 with four walks during that stretch.

Matt Bedell went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles.

UP NEXT: The Ramblers are getting ready to take on Bernard on Saturday at 1 p.m. The game will be played in Cascade.