Ramblers finish 2014 with third highest win percentage in team history

With a final overall record of 34-14 (.708), the 2014 Key West Ramblers finished the season with the third highest win percentage in team history. The only Key West teams to produce better win percentages were the 2012 (40-12, .769) and 2011 (35-13, .729) Rambler squads.

While its 34 wins fell six short of the team record, the 2014 Ramblers accomplished something that had not been done in their history - they won the EIHL postseason championship. And they did it in dominant fashion. Behind a monster day from all-star second baseman Andrew Redman, Key West won 8-0 over Dubuque in the semifinals and 10-2 over Farley in the title game (both on Aug. 10).

Redman went a combined 6-for-7 with three home runs, a double and seven RBIs on that championship Sunday as part of one of the best seasons ever for a Rambler hitter. The Clarke University standout fell just short of a single-season team record with his batting average of .414 over 42 games. However, he did break a team record with his 50 runs scored. He also recorded a 1.167 OPS, seven home runs, 39 RBIs, 10 doubles and 14 stolen bases.

His efforts also helped pave the way for the Ramblers to claim the Farley Tournament title. During the annual event at Farley, Key West defeated Dubuque, Peosta, Dyersville and then host Farley. The championship game with Farley will go down as a classic as it took 12 innings to decide a winner. Rambler starting pitcher Jordan Hohensee covered all 12 innings and first baseman Chris Briggs delivered a walk-off RBI single for a 5-4 win.

Hohensee served as Key West's horse all season, breaking a team single-season record with 96.1 innings pitched. The Clarke graduate started the all-star game on the mound for the EIHL and finished his season with a record of 9-5 to go along with a 1.87 ERA, .211 opponent batting average and 83 strikeouts.

Shortstop Dan Spain came through with another great season and was the third Rambler to represent the team as an all-star game starter. Spain hit .333 with three home runs, 30 RBIs, 12 stolen bases and a team high 16 doubles while playing his usual stellar defense at shortstop.

After a slow start, Briggs got hot and produced solid numbers. Typically the team's No. 4 hitter in the lineup, Briggs batted .323 with a .411 on-base percentage, five home runs, 38 RBIs and seven stolen bases while playing in all 47 games (team record). His 28 career home runs are the most in team history.

One of the season's biggest surprises was right-handed pitcher Kenny Capesius, who carried an unblemished 8-0 record until being tagged with his first loss in the final game of the season. Capesius routinely frustrated hitters despite his lack of an overpowering fastball. He turned in a sparkling 1.84 ERA in large part because of his impeccable control - just nine walks in 63.2 innings of work.

The Ramblers played their best baseball during the period of May 20 through June 24 when they went 13-1, won the Farley Tournament and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 116-27. Included in that stretch was a 10-game winning streak - the longest in team history, surpassing the nine-game win streak of the 40-victory 2012 team.

In 2014, the Ramblers bounced back from the disappointment of a 20-20 record in 2013. From a statistical standpoint, the 2014 Key West squad was even better than the 2012 edition that holds the record for wins in a season. In 2014, the Ramblers set new team hitting records for batting average (.309), on-base percentage (.395) and runs (303). In addition, a dominant pitching staff broke team marks for ERA (2.17) and opponent batting average (.195).

While familiar stars like Briggs, Redman and Spain again shined, the emergence of regulars like Anthony Ruden, Brett LaMere and Ben Oglesby and pitchers such as Capesius and Austin Bradley proved just as important. Key West needed such contributions considering veterans Tim Carty and Justin Kuhle both registered career lows for games played in 2014.

With a record of 211-117 since the start of the 2008 campaign, the Ramblers will be expected to be one of the heavyweights on the Eastern Iowa semi-pro baseball circuit once again in 2015. While the Ramblers may have won 'only' two tournaments in 2014, they dominated league play with a combined EIHL and Prairie League record of 24-6. Further, they had an overall run differential of plus-188. Key West's place among the elite area teams has been well established.

Bernard Tournament game moved to Aug. 30

Sunday's scheduled first-round Bernard Tournament game versus Farley was postponed. It has been moved to Saturday, Aug. 30. Game time is set for 4:30 p.m. from Bernard.

Bernard Tournament bracket

Key West will begin action at the Bernard Tournament on Sunday when it takes on Farley at 3 p.m. View the complete bracket below.

Peosta Tournament bracket released

Key West will begin play at the Peosta Tournament on Sunday (Aug. 17) as part of the 16-team bracket. The Ramblers (34-12) take on Bellevue at 4:30 p.m. that day. View the complete bracket below.

Key West ends Prairie League regular season with win

The Prairie League regular season came to an end on Monday as Key West (34-12) topped East Dubuque, 8-3, in Peosta. The Ramblers used five different pitchers, including four making their first appearances of the season, to navigate the seven-inning victory.

Brett LaMere got his first start on the mound and fired three shutout innings before giving way to Chad Crabill. Tony Ebel, who worked 1.1 innings, picked up the win, benefiting from Key West's four-run fifth-inning.

Six different Ramblers each collected one hit apiece on the night. Ben Oglesby and Anthony Ruden both notched RBI singles during the big fifth inning.

Key West has qualified for the Prairie League playoffs for the seventh time in the last eight years. Pairings will be announced when available.

Redman powers Ramblers to EIHL title

All Andrew Redman did was go a combined 6-for-7 with three home runs, a double and seven RBIs on Sunday as Key West (33-12) cruised past Dubuque, 8-0, in the EIHL semifinals and Farley, 10-2, in the championship game in Rickardsville. The Ramblers (33-12) already owned three all-time Prairie League championships but were still in search of their first-ever EIHL postseason banner entering Sunday's action.

Redman, an all-star second baseman, homered in all three of his at bats in the semifinal victory over Dubuque, giving him his fifth, sixth and seventh long balls of the season. Redman cracked a two-run homer in both the first and third innings and then a three-run blast in the fourth to provide plenty of support for starting pitcher Jordan Hohensee.

The power surge continued in Sunday's late afternoon title game battle with Farley. The Ramblers found themselves down 2-0 after an inning, but first baseman Chris Briggs got them on the board with a home run to lead off the second. Then in the third, center fielder Ben Oglesby (2-for-3 vs. Farley) connected on a homer that punctuated a seven-run third inning. The outburst staked Key West to a 9-2 lead.

The hot Rambler bats helped enact the eight-run rule in both of Sunday's playoff games. The semifinal contest ended when Luis Reyes singled in Brett LaMere in the bottom of the fifth to make it an eight-run margin. Similarly, the title game concluded with Jake Schaeffer's run-scoring single in the bottom of the sixth.

On the day, Key West pounded out 25 hits - 16 of which came against Farley, who went with Andy Seabrooke on the mound. Three Ramblers had two or more hits in the semifinal - Redman (3-for-3), LaMere (2-for-3) and Schaeffer (2-for-3) - and another five did the same in the title game - Chad Crabill (3-for-3), LaMere (3-for-4), Redman (3-for-4), Briggs (2-for-3) and Oglesby (2-for-3).

Hohensee (9-4) held Dubuque to three hits as part of a five-inning shutout. He struck out four in the process of setting a new team single season record for innings pitched (91.1).

In the championship, Anthony Ruden (6-2), who allowed two first-inning runs, kept Farley scoreless over the final five frames. He surrendered just a single earned run on four hits and one walk while striking out five.

In last week's action, Key West also topped Balltown, 7-1, on Aug. 8 and Epworth, 10-2, on Aug. 9. The Ramblers have now won four-straight games.

Still to come: Three tournaments remain in the 2014 season - the Prairie League playoffs, the Peosta Tournament and the Bernard Tournament. Pairings/brackets will be posted when available. The Ramblers will also host East Dubuque on Monday (Aug. 11) at 7 p.m. in the final Prairie League regular-season game of the season.

Unofficial league MVP? If the EIHL was to name an official MVP for the 2014 season, how could it be anyone other than Andrew Redman? The Clarke University standout has a slash line of .424/.530/.674 (AVG/OBP/SLG). He also has seven home runs, 39 RBIs and 14 stolen bases in 40 games.

Ramblers win first-ever EIHL postseason title

Key West accomplished something on Sunday that it had never done in its history - win the EIHL postseason title. The top-seeded Ramblers rolled past Dubuque, 8-0, and Farley, 10-2, in afternoon games decided by the eight-run rule on the way to winning the crown. The Ramblers blasted five home runs on the day - three coming from Andrew Redman in the semifinal victory over Dubuque. Chris Briggs and Ben Oglesby also crushed a home run apiece.

Key West (33-12) captured Prairie League championships in 2008, 2011 and 2012. The Ramblers have also now reached the 30-win mark for the fourth time in the last five seasons and for the fifth time in the past seven years.

Look for more coverage of Key West's championship on Monday.

EIHL playoffs set for Sunday

As champion of the EIHL, the Key West Ramblers (30-12, 11-3 EIHL) garnered the No. 1 seed for the league playoffs, which will get underway Sunday (Aug. 10) afternoon in Rickardsville. Key West will play fourth-seeded Dubuque (9-5 EIHL) at 1 p.m. Both the semifinals and the title game will be held in Rickardsville on Sunday.

EIHL playoffs - Sunday, Aug. 10
1 p.m. - #1 Key West (11-3) vs. #4 Dubuque (9-5)
2:30 p.m. - #2 Rickardsville (10-4) vs. #3 Farley (10-4)
4 p.m. - Championship

*All games will be seven innings with an eight-run rule after five; highest seeds serve as home teams.

Key West bounced from Dyersville Tournament in first round

With the benefit of three Key West errors in the bottom of the seventh, Farley walked off with a 2-1 in first-round action at the Dyersville Tournament on Sunday night. The Ramblers (29-12) had hoped to capture their second Dyersville Tournament title in three seasons. The loss also counted as a Prairie League game.

Trailing 1-0 in the top of the sixth, Key West tied the game when a passed ball with the bases loaded chased Anthony Ruden home. However, the Ramblers could not take further advantage of three walks issued in the inning by starter Andy Seabrooke.

Jordan Hohensee took the loss despite working a complete game that spanned 6.1 innings. Hohensee let in just a single earned run on five hits and two walks. He struck out four in what was his 11th complete game of the season.

While the Ramblers took four walks, they managed only two hits off Seabrooke.

Up Next: Key West has two make-up games to close the week. It will host Balltown in Peosta at 6 p.m. on Friday and then go to Epworth at 12 p.m. on Saturday.

Ramblers claim EIHL regular-season title

By winning game 1 of Thursday's doubleheader at Cascade, Key West captured the first EIHL regular-season title ever. The Ramblers (29-10) finished with a league mark of 11-3. Playoff pairings will be posted when available.

Key West has three Prairie League postseason championships: 2008, 2011 and 2012. The Ramblers have been EIHL postseason runner up twice: 2010 and 2011 and Prairie League runner up in 2009.

Dyersville Tournament pairings

The historic Dyersville Tournament got underway Thursday (July 31) night in Dyersville, Iowa. Key West will get started from Dyersville on Sunday in a 7:30 p.m. contest versus Farley (also counts as a Prairie League game). Queens night will be held Friday, Aug. 8.

First Round
Thu., July 31 - Dyersville 15, Placid 0
Thu., July 31 - Monticello 2, Worthington 1
Fri., Aug. 1 - Epworth vs. Peosta, 7 p.m.
Fri., Aug. 1 - Bernard vs. Zwingle, 8:30 p.m.
Sat., Aug. 2 - Bellevue vs. Balltown, 6 p.m.
Sat., Aug. 2 - Rickardsville vs. Dubuque, 7:30 p.m.
Sun., Aug. 3 - Cascade vs. East Dubuque, 6 p.m.
Sun., Aug. 3 - Farley vs. Key West

Quarterfinals - Tue., Aug. 5 and Wed., Aug. 6

Semifinals - Fri., Aug. 8

Championship/Consolation - Sat., Aug. 9

Ramblers split EIHL doubleheader at Cascade

In a pair of make-up games at Cascade, Key West split a doubleheader on Thursday night. The Ramblers took game 1, 10-1, before a rash of errors cost them in an 8-6 loss in the night cap. Key West moved to 29-10 overall and 11-3 in EIHL play.

First baseman Chris Briggs stayed red hot, reaching base in seven of eight plate appearances as part of a 5-for-6 night that included three more RBIs to push his team high total to 35. Briggs singled and scored on Brett LaMere's two-run base hit that got Key West on top immediately in the first inning of game 1. Briggs added a single and a run in the third and then a run-scoring knock in the sixth.

Anthony Ruden, who fired a complete game to earn the game 1 victory, also had a big day with two hits in both games. He drilled a two-run double to highlight a six-run fifth inning that put the first contest out of reach. On the mound, Ruden scattered five hits and seven walks and held Cascade to a single earned run.

Catcher Chad Crabill went 2-for-2 with a run and RBI in game 1 and then 2-for-3 with another run and RBI in game 2. Star second baseman Andrew Redman keyed the game 2 attack with a pair of doubles, including one for an RBI in the top of the sixth. LaMere (2-for-4) and Reyes (2-for-4) added two hits apiece in the second contest while Ben Oglesby went 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI in the victory.

Game 2 was marred by Key West's defensive miscues that allowed Cascade to tally six unearned runs - five off of Rambler starter Sam Noel, who went 4.2 innings. Cascade piled up four unearned runs in the fifth to take a 6-4 advantage. After Key West tacked on a run in the top of the sixth, Cascade put up two runs in the bottom half off of Austin Bradley to gain control.

Records broken: Two single-season records have been broken by Rambler individuals in 2014. Andrew Redman's 42 runs scored topped the previous top mark of 39 by Dan Spain in 2011. Jordan Hohensee also set a new record with 10 complete games. The previous record was eight by Sean O'Connor in 2011.

Up next: The Ramblers will go up against Farley in the first round of the Dyersville Tournament at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday.

LaMere walk-off single lifts Ramblers over Balltown

After dropping a one-run decision to Farley on Monday, Key West (28-9, 10-3 Prairie League) rebounded with a 5-4 come-from-behind victory over Balltown in Peosta on Wednesday night. Brett LaMere served as the hero, driving home the tying and winning runs in the bottom of the ninth to complete a rally from two runs down.

Balltown, behind starting pitcher Steve McDonough, led 3-0 after five innings. The Ramblers finally got on the board with Luis Reyes' RBI ground out in the bottom of the sixth. Key West later took advantage of two key Balltown errors and a free pass to win on LaMere's walk-off in the ninth.

The clutch two-out hit made a winner of Kenny Capesius, who worked three innings in relief of starter Jake Schaeffer. Capesius moved to 8-0 this season by limiting Balltown to a run on three hits while working the seventh, eighth and ninth frames. Schaeffer allowed three unearned runs in six innings before giving way to Capesius.

Both Anthony Ruden and Chris Briggs went 2-for-5 to lead the Rambler attack. LaMere also drove in a run in the eighth with a sacrifice fly.

Two nights earlier Farley got on top of Key West ace Jordan Hohensee (8-3) with five first-inning runs on five hits. Hohensee settled in, but the Ramblers played catch up the rest of the way and ultimately fell 8-7.

Key West made it a tight contest with a four-run third inning that included a two-run double from Andrew Redman and a two-run homer from Chris Briggs, who tied Redman for the team lead with four long balls on the season.

Farley pushed its lead back up to 8-4 with a run each in the fourth and sixth innings of a seven-inning affair. Key West responded with three tallies in the bottom of the sixth, one coming on a Ruden RBI triple to get back in it. In an attempt at a seventh-inning rally, the Ramblers went down 1-2-3.

Ramblers with multiple hits included Ruden (3-for-4), Ben Oglesby (2-for-2), LaMere (2-for-3) and Briggs (2-for-4).

Key West returned to play Thursday (July 31) with a doubleheader at Cascade. The action got started at 6:30 p.m.

Sunday sweep

The Ramblers outscored Holy Cross and Epworth by a combined tally of 17-1 in a pair of seven-inning Prairie League victories on Sunday afternoon. Key West (27-8, 9-2 Prairie League) topped Holy Cross 10-0 in game 1 before taking a 7-1 win over Epworth in game 2.

The Ramblers nearly got back-to-back shutouts from starting pitchers Kenny Capesius and Austin Bradley. Capesius fired a four-hit shutout in game 1 to remain unbeaten at 7-0. He holds a 1.43 ERA in 56.2 innings. Meanwhile, Bradley had a shutout going in the seventh until JJ Connolly's RBI single with two outs.

A strong offensive day began with Key West racking up three first-inning runs in game 1. Andrew Redman got it started with a two-run single on a day in which he reached base in six of his eight plate appearances. Key West got four more runs in the third and one apiece in the fourth, sixth and seventh innings. Anthony Ruden led the attack from the leadoff spot, going 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI.

Chris Briggs got the Ramblers on the board in game 2 with a first-inning RBI single. He added another RBI base hit in the third as part of a 2-for-3 game. Ruden went 2-for-2 with three runs, two walks and two stolen bases. Dan Spain went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, one run and one steal. Jake Schaeffer also collected a pair of hits in a 2-for-4 effort versus Epworth.

Capesius ended up with two strikeouts compared to no walks in game 1. Bradley worked around eight bases on balls and struck out eight. Opposing hitters went a combined 7-for-49 (.143) on the day, dropping the opponent batting average to .182 on the year. The Ramblers have outscored their foes 230-71 over 35 games.

Redman scored three runs on the day to give him 39 for the season, tying the team single-season record set by Spain in 2011.

Key West is scheduled to be in action in each of the next four days. The Ramblers are set to play at Farley at 7 p.m. on  Monday.

Key West holds off Dyersville

One-run games have been rare this season for Key West, but on Monday the Ramblers got a ninth-inning tally to break a 5-5 tie at Dyersville and improve to 4-1 in games decided by a single run. With the 6-5 win, Key West (25-8) continued its dominant run in EIHL action, moving to 10-1 in league play.

Jordan Hohensee got the win on the mound to bump his record to 8-2. Aaron Becker took the loss for Dyersville.

At the plate, Dan Spain (2-for-5) and Luis Reyes (2-for-4) both collected two hits apiece for Key West. Spain cracked a pair of doubles. Anthony Ruden cleared the bases with a three-run double in the fourth. Spain ended up scoring the winning run in the ninth on a wild pitch after leading off with one of his two doubles.

Key West moved ahead 5-3 with two runs in the top of the eighth before Dyersville answered with two of its own in the bottom half. Ahead 6-5 in the bottom of the ninth, the Ramblers turned a double play to end the game.

Key West is off until Sunday when it will host a doubleheader, beginning with Holy Cross at 12 p.m. and ending with Epworth at 2 p.m.

Saeugling homer pushes Dubuque past Ramblers

Aaron Saeugling's two-run homer in the top of the eighth broke a 1-1 tie and lifted Dubuque to a 3-1 win over Key West in the first round of the Cascade Tournament on Saturday night. Seeking their first-ever Cascade title, the Ramblers (24-8) were eliminated by a Blues team they had defeated in the first round of the Farley and Worthington tournaments this season.

Facing Dubuque hurler Mark Hennessey, Key West mustered just a single run when Chris Briggs doubled in Andrew Redman in the bottom of the fourth to knot the score. Hennessey and the Ramblers' Dan Spain then traded zeroes until Saeugling's game-winning blast.

Spain struggled with his control, issuing nine walks (three in the first inning). He worked out of nearly every jam while limiting Dubuque to five hits over an eight-inning complete game. He got a key strikeout in the first inning after walking the bases loaded to keep the Blues off the scoreboard. He was then one out away from maintaining a 1-1 tie in the eighth before Saeugling took him deep.

The Ramblers managed four hits off of Hennessey. They also missed out on a prime scoring chance in the first inning when Spain doubled and Andrew Redman was hit by a pitch with one out. Hennessey got Briggs and Tim Carty to fly out to end the frame.

Key West and Dubuque have already met six times this season. The Ramblers are 4-2 in those contests.

The Ramblers will return to action on Monday when they play at Dyersville at 7 p.m. Key West is 9-1 in EIHL play.

Ramblers rally back from four-run deficit for road win

Down 4-0 after four innings of play at Worthington on Thursday, Key West chipped away until taking the lead for good on Ben Oglesby's RBI single in the eighth on the way to a 7-4 triumph. The late offense helped make a winner of starting pitcher Kenny Capesius, who improved to 6-0 this season. As a team, the Ramblers are 24-7 overall and 9-1 in EIHL action.

Three first-inning unearned runs allowed host Worthington to jump on top early. Key West got back into it by getting a run each in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. The Ramblers then got back-to-back two out RBI singles from Luis Reyes and Oglesby for the tying and go-ahead runs in the top of the eighth off of Worthington starter Travis Rahe.

First baseman Chris Briggs put an exclamation point on the victory by crushing his third home run of the season, a two-run blast that easily cleared the right field wall in the top of the ninth.

Capesius worked the first eight innings for Key West. He allowed four runs (one earned) on nine hits and no walks. He struck out five in the process of remaining unbeaten. The Ramblers then turned to Austin Bradley in the ninth. Bradley worked a 1-2-3 frame to collect his team-leading third save.

Anthony Ruden (3-for-5) and Andrew Redman (2-for-4) both notched two or more hits for the Ramblers. Redman also stole two bases and scored a run in the sixth. Ruden scored a run, drove one in and had one steal from the leadoff spot in the lineup.

Rahe ended up being charged with four earned runs over nine innings. He also went 3-for-4 at the plate. He was robbed of a possible home run in his last at bat when Key West left fielder Tony Ebel made a difficult catch up against the wall in the bottom of the eighth.

The Ramblers will be back in action on Saturday for a first-round tournament game in Cascade. Key West takes on Dubuque at 7:30 p.m.

Ramblers fall at Farley despite stellar outing from Hohensee

EIHL all-star game starter Jordan Hohensee did not allow a single hit until the sixth inning, but host Farley made a single unearned run stand up in a 1-0 pitcher's duel. Farley's Jared McIntosh flashed dominant stuff and wiggled out of a couple jams to keep the Ramblers in check. Key West fell to 23-7 overall and 7-2 in Prairie League action.

The game's lone run came home when Farley's Pat Grau hit a sharp grounder toward the first base line that eluded Chris Briggs and allowed Craig Kerper to score from second in the bottom of the sixth. That play came on the heels of back-to-back singles from Craig Kerper and Brian Miller - the first two Farley hits of the night off of Hohensee.

Hohensee dropped to 7-2 despite allowing only two hits and walking none in a six-inning complete game. The Rambler ace needed only 56 pitches on the night. Three of his innings were of the 1-2-3 variety.

Key West left at least one runner in scoring position in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Dan Spain nearly knocked in a pair of runs in the third when he hit a hot shot towards third with runners at second and third. Farley's Adam Seabrooke made a nifty stab and threw Spain out at first to end the inning.

McIntosh ended up with a five-hit shutout. He struck out nine Ramblers, including three in the fourth.

Key West will return to action on Thursday with an EIHL game at Worthington. First pitch is set for 7 p.m.

Ruden, defense pave way for 2-1 win over Dubuque

Anthony Ruden delivered big pitches with men on base, Ben Oglesby gunned down a late run at the plate and the Ramblers eked out a 2-1 EIHL win over Dubuque on Tuesday night in Peosta. The victory was the fifth in a row and 16th in the last 18 games for Key West (23-6), which is now 8-1 in EIHL action.

Working with a 2-0 lead, Ruden somehow navigated the sixth inning without allowing a single run despite the first three hitters all reaching base. The key play of the game came when Oglesby, playing center field, fielded a single off the bat of Aaron Wulfekuhle and nailed a runner at the plate for the first out. Ruden then got a strikeout and a groundout to end the threat.

More drama came in the seventh when Austin Bradley relieved Ruden. Andy Danna's sacrifice fly for the second out put the Blues on the board. Key West then sealed the win when catcher Brett LaMere threw out Aaron Saeugling, who attempted to steal second.

The Ramblers got their runs on a Jake Schaeffer RBI single in the bottom of the second and a key two-out RBI base hit by Chris Briggs in the bottom of the third. Briggs' hit scored Andrew Redman, who had doubled to deep left to begin a two-out spurt.

Ruden (4-2) scattered five hits, three walks and two hit batters over his six innings of scoreless work. Bradley then came on to earn his second save of the season.

Wulfekuhle went 2-for-3 for Dubuque and was the only player on either side with multiple hits on the night. Alex Steines took the loss on the mound for the Blues.

The Ramblers have now won each of the last four meetings with Dubuque, including two tournament matchups.

Up Next: Key West will play at Farley at 7 p.m. on Wednesday (July 16) in a Prairie League contest.

Cascade Tournament pairings

Pairings for the 68th annual Cascade Tournament.

First Round
Wed., July 16 - Cascade vs. Placid, 7 p.m.
Wed., July 16 - Worthington vs. Monticello, 8:30 p.m.
Thu., July 17 - Bernard vs. Peosta, 7 p.m.
Thu., July 17 - Epworth vs. Zwingle, 8:30 p.m.
Fri., July 18 - Dyersville vs. East Dubuque, 7 p.m.
Fri., July 18 - Farley vs. Bellevue, 8:30 p.m.
Sat., July 19 - Rickardsville vs. Balltown, 6 p.m.
Sat., July 19 - Dubuque vs. Key West, 7:30 p.m.

Quarterfinals
Sun., July 20 - Cascade/Placid vs. Worthington/Monticello, 1:30 p.m.
Sun., July 20 - Dyersville/East Dubuque vs. Farley/Bellevue, 3 p.m.
Wed., July 23 - Bernard/Peosta vs. Epworth/Zwingle, 7 p.m.
Wed., July 23 - Rickardsville/Balltown vs. Dubuque/Key West, 8:30 p.m.

Semifinals
Fri., July 25 - 7 p.m.
Fri., July 25 - 8:30 p.m.

Consolation
Sat., July 26 - 5:30 p.m.

Championship
Sat., July 26 - 7 p.m.

All-star game wiped out by rain

Key West Ramblers played a big role in the EIHL gaining a 4-0 lead before play was halted in the fourth
inning of Saturday's Telegraph Herald Semi-Pro All-Star game. Heavy rain and lightning forced the contest to be canceled. It will not be made up.

Dan Spain, who started at third base and batted second in the EIHL lineup, had already collected two hits before the rain came. Spain doubled in a run in the first and singled in another in the third in support of starting pitcher Jordan Hohensee, who also represented Key West.

Making his first career all-star appearance, Hohnesee shut out the Prairie League through his first four innings of work and was on track to earn the victory. In nine appearances this season for Key West, Hohensee has a 7-1 record and 1.25 ERA to go along with 60 strikeouts in 65 innings.

Andrew Redman, the Ramblers' leading hitter, started at second base and batted fourth in the lineup.

Sunday's game at Holy Cross postponed: Because of Saturday's heavy rains, Holy Cross postponed Sunday's scheduled Prairie League game. A make-up date is to be determined.

Friday's Result: Key West 15, Monticello 3 (7 innings)

On Friday the Ramblers tallied 17 hits on the way to pummeling Monticello, 15-3, in Peosta. Key West got four runs in the first and five more in the third to take a commanding 9-0 lead. The win bumped the Ramblers to 22-6 overall and 7-1 in EIHL action. During the team's current seven-game EIHL win streak, Key West has outscored its opponents 93-18.

Six Ramblers notched two or more hits in the win over Monticello: Chad Crabill (3-for-3), Brett LaMere (3-for-3), Dan Spain (3-for-5), Chris Briggs (2-for-4), Tony Ebel (2-for-4) and Anthony Ruden (2-for-5). Eight of the team's nine starters had at least one hit.

Spain moved to 3-0 on the mound by working the game's first six innings. He scattered seven hits and three runs (all earned) while striking out three. He was relieved in the seventh by Ruden, who threw a scoreless frame.

Up next: The Ramblers host Dubuque in an EIHL game at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Key West has won each of the last three meetings with Dubuque.

Capesius tosses one-hit shutout; Rambler bats supply firepower

Key West put up five runs in the bottom of the eighth to end the game early in a 10-run rule, 10-0 home win over Peosta on Thursday night. Kenny Capesius frustrated Peosta hitters and fired a one-hit shutout to move to 5-0 on the season. Key West is now 21-6 overall and 7-1 in the Prairie League.

Capesius lowered his season ERA to 1.73 in 41.2 innings. As a staff, the Ramblers have a 1.98 ERA and and opponent batting average of .178.

Five Key West hitters totaled two or more hits: Jake Schaeffer (3-for-3), Chad Crabill (2-for-2), Chris Briggs (2-for-5), Andrew Redman (2-for-5) and Anthony Ruden (2-for-5). Both Briggs and Schaeffer tripled once. The Ramblers racked up a total of 16 hits.

Key West got on top early with three runs in the second before adding two more in the fourth.

Winners of 13 of their last 15, the Ramblers return to action Friday (July 11) when they host Monticello at 7 p.m.

Ramblers grab sixth-straight Prairie League win, defeat East Dubuque

Since dropping their Prairie League opener, the Ramblers have now reeled off six-straight in league play after Wednesday night's 6-4 victory at East Dubuque. Key West (20-6) got out to a 6-2 lead on the strength of a three-run second and two-run third to claim its 20th win of the 2014 season, equaling the team's win total from 2013.

Starting pitcher Austin Bradley had given up only six hits in 26 innings of work coming into Wednesday's action. East Dubuque tagged him for seven hits and four runs (three earned) over Bradley's five innings, but the outing was still good enough for Bradley to move to 4-0 on the season. He continues to lead the Rambler pitching staff with a .126 opponent batting average.

EIHL all-star second baseman Andrew Redman bumped his team best average to .443 with a 2-for-3 evening that included a fourth-inning sacrifice fly that capped Key West's scoring. Redman also singled, stole a base and scored a run on Jake Schaeffer's RBI single in the top of the third.

Catcher Chad Crabill also went 2-for-3. He scored a run each in the second and third innings.

Dan Spain, 1-for-4 at the plate on the day, relieved Bradley on the mound in the sixth. Spain retired all six hitters he faced to pick up his first save of the season. Spain has surrendered just a single run in 15 innings this season.

The Ramblers are back in action on Thursday (July 10). They host Peosta at 7 p.m. in another Prairie League battle.

Four league games rescheduled

Four games that had been postponed due to either weather or tournament conflicts have now been rescheduled. The complete schedule can be viewed by clicking the link at the top right of the website.

Rescheduled games:
Thu., July 10 - Peosta (Home) - 7 p.m.
Fri., July 11 - Monticello (Home) - 7 p.m.
Fri., July 18 - East Dubuque (Home) - 7 p.m.
Wed., July 30 - Balltown (Home) - 7 p.m.

Capesius moves to 4-0 in rout of New Vienna

Kenny Capesius bumped his record to 4-0 by hurling eight shutout innings in a 9-0 home victory over New Vienna in Sunday's Prairie League contest. In Capesius' support, the Ramblers pounded out 14 hits to shake off a 3-0 loss to Farley at the Rickardsville Tournament on Saturday. Key West now sits at 19-6 overall and 5-1 in the Prairie League.

After allowing a leadoff single, Capesius settled in and struck out the side in the top of the first. He racked up five more K's on the day and held New Vienna to only four hits and one walk. Capesius lowered his ERA to 2.14 in 33.2 innings on the season.

Offensively, first baseman Chris Briggs continues to heat up. He went 3-for-5 with an RBI single in both the third and eighth innings. The Ramblers put the game out of reach with a four-run eighth that included a two-run single from second baseman Chad Crabill.

Briggs was one of five Ramblers with multiple hits. He was joined by Austin Bradley (2-for-4, run, two stolen bases), Brett LaMere (2-for-4, two RBIs, one run), Dan Spain (2-for-4, three runs, double) and Anthony Ruden (2-for-5, two runs, one RBI, one stolen base).

Bradley, who played the first eight innings in right field, relieved Capesius in the ninth. Bradley duplicated his scoreless frame from the day before. In 26 innings of work this season, Bradley has surrendered just six hits and a single run.

The Ramblers get back to EIHL action on Tuesday night when they host Farley at 7 p.m.

Cascade Tournament: Key West will play Dubuque in the first round on Saturday, July 19 at 7:30 p.m.

Briggs goes deep twice in blowout at Rickardsville

First baseman Chris Briggs crushed his first two home runs of the season (24th and 25th of career) to lead Key West (18-5) to a 12-2, 10-run rule victory at Rickardsville on Wednesday night. The red-hot Ramblers have now won 12 of their last 13 games and are 6-1 in EIHL play.

Briggs (3-for-5) joined Andrew Redman (3-for-4) and Dan Spain (3-for-5) as Ramblers with three hits as part of the 15-hit team outburst. Spain also homered, bringing him with in one long ball of Redman's team high of four.

On the mound, Jordan Hohensee picked up the win to move to 7-1 in his eight starts. Hohensee is set to start on the hill for the EIHL at the all-star game on July 12.

After leading Rickardsville just 5-2 at the end of six innings, Key West exploded with four runs in the seventh and three more in the eighth to propel it to a second-straight win by the 10-run rule.

Anthony Ruden went 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles.

Dating back to August of 2011, the Ramblers have won 10 of the last 12 meetings with Rickardsville.

Key West will return to Rickardsville for first round action at the Rickardsville Tournament on Saturday. The Ramblers will take on Farley at 12 p.m.

Bradley fires no-hitter in 10-run rule win at Placid

On Sunday right-handed pitcher Austin Bradley did something no Rambler had done since the team's rebirth in 2004. Bradley tossed a no-hitter as Key West breezed to an 10-0 victory in eight innings at Placid. The win gave the Ramblers their 11th in the past 12 games and bumped their overall mark to 17-5.

Bradley, a member of the Ellsworth Community College baseball team, has been another dependable arm for a dominant Rambler pitching staff in 2014. After Sunday's outing, Bradley has allowed just a single run in 24 innings of work, giving him a near spotless 0.38 ERA over six appearances.

As part of Key West's 11-hit attack, Kenny Capesius, Brett LaMere, Ben Oglesby and Luis Reyes all went 2-for-4. The Ramblers got one home run apiece from LaMere, Oglesby and Andrew Redman, who has a team high four long balls on the year.

Coach John Knabel even drove in a pair of runs with a base hit in the top of the eighth. The two-run single allowed the Ramblers to win by the 10-run rule as Sam Nelman took the loss for host Placid.

Key West returns to action on Wednesday for an EIHL game at Rickardsville. First pitch is slated for 7 p.m. The Ramblers sport an EIHL record of 5-1.

Ramblers rally to top Dubuque, earn 10th-straight win

Key West got the big hit it needed in a battle of top-notch pitchers at the Worthington Tournament on Tuesday night. The Ramblers rallied for a 2-1 first-round win over Dubuque behind ace Jordan Hohensee. The victory was the 10th in a row for Key West (16-4), which has now won the last three meetings with the Blues.

Down 1-0 in the top of the seventh, shortstop Dan Spain delivered a two-out, two-run single off Dubuque starter Reed Stumpf. Hohensee made the one-run lead stand up by tossing up another zero in the bottom of the seventh to send Key West to the quarterfinals of Worthington.

Hohensee has now fired a complete game in all seven of his starts. He's 6-1 over eight appearances that have covered 57 innings. The Clarke University hurler will get the ball for the EIHL all-stars on Saturday, July 13. He limited Dubuque to just three hits.

Both Spain (2-for-4) and Justin Kuhle (2-for-3) recorded two hits for the Ramblers, who were held to five total hits by Stumpf.

Key West will return to action in Worthington for a quarterfinal clash with Cascade, which got past Bellevue, 7-4, on Tuesday night. The Ramblers topped Cascade 4-2 on May 10 in the season opener.

Three Ramblers named to 2014 all-star game

A trio of Ramblers have been named starters for the 27th annual Telegraph Herald Semi Pro All-Star Game. Jordan Hohensee (pitcher), Andrew Redman (second base) and Dan Spain (third base) will represent Key West when the 2014 all-star game plays out on Saturday, July 12. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m. from Worthington Memorial Ballpark in Worthington, Iowa.

Hohensee has starred as one of the top pitchers in the Eastern Iowa semi pro circuit this season for the 15-4 Ramblers. The Clarke University hurler is 5-1 with a 1.08 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 50 innings of work. He has fired complete games in all six of his starts.

Redman, known best for his work on the mound in past seasons, has made a huge splash at the plate in 2014. He is the Ramblers' leading hitter with a .458 batting average (27-for-59) in 17 games. Redman has added three homers and 14 RBIs and sports an impressive .562 on-base percentage and .712 slugging percentage.

Spain, MVP of the 2012 all-star game, has been red hot from the batter's box. He is hitting .400 (28-for-70) with two home runs and team leading totals of 19 RBIs and seven stolen bases in 17 games. The Clarke University head baseball coach has an OPS of just under 1.000.

In 2013, both Spain and Tim Carty started in the all-star game. The Prairie League won 8-7 in Peosta.

2014 ALL-STAR ROSTERS

Eastern Iowa Hawkeye League

Coach: Lenny Tekippe, Rickardsville

P: Jordan Hohensee, Key West

C: Ben Ogden, Worthington

1B: Ryan Jantsch, Rickardsville

2B: Andrew Redman, Key West

3B: Dan Spain, Key West

SS: Austin Gehl, Cascade

LF: Regan Takes, Cascade

CF: Pat Grau, Farley

RF: Craig Kerper, Farley

DH: Jeff Lehmann, Rickardsville

Reserves:

Tom Andrews, Cascade

Mark Hennessy, Dubuque

Seth Hoerner, Dubuque

Levi Lawrence, Dyersville

Nate Steger, Dyersville

Jacob Thompson, Monticello

Nathan Hall, Rickardsville

Travis Rahe, Worthington

Prairie League

Coach: Chet Knake, Bellevue

P: Cody Reimer, Peosta

C: Cooper Stewart, Bellevue

1B: Brett Featherston, Epworth

2B: Carlo Rivera, Bernard

3B: Chet Knake, Bellevue

SS: David Rodriguez, Bernard

LF: Sergio Cruz, Peosta

CF: Cole Reeg, Bellevue

RF: Travis Lyons, Zwingle

DH: Bill Albee, East Dubuque

Reserves:

Kyle Behnke, Balltown

Rob Reed, Bernard

Jack Hoffman, East Dubuque

Gavin Nadermann, Epworth

Graham Houselog, Holy Cross

Nate Weber, New Vienna

Matt Moore, Placid

Ryan Hill, Zwingle

Ramblers set to play Farley at Rickardsville Tournament

The quickly approaching holiday weekend will see Key West take on Farley in the first round of the 36th annual Rickardsville Tournament. The complete bracket can be viewed HERE. The Ramblers and Farley have been paired in a 12 p.m. game on Saturday, July 5 at Rickardsville. Key West will be aiming for its first ever Rickardsville Tournament title.

UPDATE: Worthington Tournament game moved to Tuesday at 8:30 p.m.

Updated June 23, 8:10 a.m.

Because of rain that wiped out games on multiple days, Key West's first round Worthington Tournament contest versus Dubuque has been moved to Tuesday (June 24) at 8:30 p.m. Originally the game had been scheduled to be played on Sunday evening.

Ramblers push win streak to nine with blowout of Worthington

Key West continued its roll with a 13-3 home victory over Worthington on Tuesday night in an EIHL contest. The Ramblers' ninth-straight win bumped their overall record to 15-4 and EIHL mark to 5-1. They have yet to lose in the month of June.

Led by 3-for-3 efforts each from Chris Briggs, Brett LaMere and Dan Spain, Key West piled up 18 hits in Tuesday's seven-inning affair. Briggs cracked a pair of doubles and Spain homered for the second time this season.

Anthony Ruden (3-for-6), Ben Oglesby (2-for-4) and Luis Reyes (2-for-5) also had multiple hit nights for the potent Rambler lineup. Ruden picked up the win on the mound while Worthington's Tyler Rahe took the loss.

At 15-4, the current Key West squad has equaled the best 19-game start in team history. The 2012 Ramblers, who finished 40-12 overall, also went 15-4 in their first 19 games.

Key West returns to action on Sunday (June 22) when it hosts Farley in a Prairie League battle. Game time is slated for 1 p.m. On that same day, the Ramblers open up at the Worthington Tournament where they take on Dubuque at 7:30 p.m. Key West has won the last two meetings with the Blues.

Ramblers trounce Dubuque for seventh-straight win

The Ramblers survived shaky first and second innings from their starting pitcher and pummeled Dubuque, 15-5, on Thursday night in an EIHL contest at Petrakis Field in Dubuque. The victory gave Key West (13-4, 4-1 EIHL) its seventh in a row, a streak that includes a pair of wins over the Blues.

On this night the offensive attack that pounded out 10 hits while taking advantage of leaky Dubuque defensive effort was a key story line - as was the fine work of Austin Bradley, who worked 5.2 innings of scoreless relief. Bradley did not allow a single hit on the way to earning his second win of the season.

At the plate, second baseman Andrew Redman continued his monster season with a double, a triple and a pair of RBIs out of the No. 3 spot in the lineup. Redman cracked his triple as part of the nine-run third inning that opened up a 12-5 lead. Chad Crabill and Tony Ebel added RBI doubles during the monster frame.

Crabill stayed hot with a 3-for-4 night. Redman (2-for-4), Ebel (2-for-5) and Dan Spain (2-for-5) also put together multiple hit games for Key West.

Dubuque held leads of 2-1 after one inning and 5-3 after two innings prior to the Rambler explosion in the third. The Blues had won seven-straight meetings with Key West until the June 4 first round Farley Tournament game that saw the Ramblers take a 4-1 decision.

Key West returns to action on Sunday for a Prairie League tilt at Zwingle. Game time is 1 p.m.

Briggs, Hohensee fuel Farley Tournament title

First baseman Chris Briggs came through with a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 12th to lift Key West to a 5-4 win over host Farley in the championship game of the Farley Tournament on Tuesday night. The Ramblers (12-4) leaned heavily upon starting pitcher Jordan Hohensee, who fired all 12 innings to earn his sixth complete game already this season.

Key West has now won six-consecutive games and nine of its last 10. The Farley Tournament title is the second for the team in the last four years (2011 champs).

Afterwards, Hohensee and other Ramblers provided reaction to the Telegraph Herald.

"It was unbelievable," Hohnesee told the TH. "(Key West manager) John (Knabel) came up to me after every inning and said, 'You good for one more?' I said, 'Oh yeah, this is my game to win or lose.'"

Loras College catcher Chad Crabill caught Hohensee, who is 5-1 while serving as the Key West ace this season.

"Jordan Hohensee pitched an absolutely amazing game," Crabill said. "He battled all night and just had his pitches going tonight. We finally squeaked out enough runs for him to get the win."

Four Ramblers connected on two hits each: Ben Oglesby (2-for-3), Crabill (2-for-4), Briggs (2-for-6) and Dan Spain (2-for-6), who scored the winning run in the 12th.

In making the run to the Farley title game, Key West defeated Dubuque, 4-1, Peosta, 2-1, and Dyersville, 8-1.

Hohensee was named the MVP of the tournament. He threw 19 innings at the tourney, including a seven-inning complete game effort in the first-round win over Dubuque.

The Ramblers are scheduled to return to action on Thursday when they take on Dubuque at Petrakis Field. First pitch is set for 7 p.m.

Two Sunday wins moves Key West to Farley title game

Rain altered the Farley Tournament schedule, requiring the Ramblers to win twice on Sunday in order to advance the championship game. Key West did just that, topping Peosta 2-1 and Dyersville 8-1. The Ramblers will go for their second Farley Tournament title in four years when they take on the host team at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

Key West (10-4) trailed 1-0 after five innings against Peosta and starting pitcher Zach Althaus in a quarterfinal clash. The Ramblers then came through with a run apiece in the sixth and seventh innings to make a winner of Anthony Ruden, who threw all seven innings for Key West. Ruden also went 2-for-4 with a double.

In the day's second game, Dan Spain earned the win on the mound over Dyersville. Chris Briggs and Andrew Redman both went 2-for-4 to lead a 10-hit attack. The Ramblers got one run in the first, three in the second and two apiece in the sixth and seventh frames.

Now winners of four in a row and seven of its last eight games, Key West will look to duplicate its 2011 Farley Tournament title. That season the Ramblers defeated Dubuque, Bellevue, Cascade and Epworth to capture the Farley crown.

Ramblers finally solve Dubuque

Dubuque had won seven-straight meetings with Key West until the Ramblers finally broke the string on Wednesday night in the first round of the Farley Tournament. In the fourth-straight Farley Tournament to pair Key West and Dubuque, the Ramblers (8-4) rode starting pitcher Jordan Hohensee to a 4-1 win.

The Blues struck for a run in the top of the first before being held scoreless by Hohensee over the final six frames. Hohensee, who has allowed only seven runs in 38 innings, improved to 4-1 on the season.

Brett LaMere led the way at the plate for Key West with a 2-for-3 effort. Dan Spain also added a double for a Rambler squad that got three crucial runs in the bottom of the sixth off of Reid Stumpf, who took the loss.

The win avenged a 2-0 defeat to Dubuque in the quarterfinals of the Bellevue Tournament on May 29.

Key West has advanced to the quarterfinals at Farley where it will take on Peosta at 7 p.m. on Saturday (June 7). Peosta defeated Bernard 1-0 in the only other game at Farley on Wednesday night.

Key West and Dubuque paired at Worthington Tournament

Mirroring the Farley Tournament, the Worthington Tournament also matches Key West and Dubuque in the first round. The two teams will meet at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 22 at Worthington. View the full bracket below.

Ramblers draw Dubuque in first round of Farley Tournament

For the fourth-straight season, Key West will play Dubuque in the first round of the Farley Tournament. This year's contest takes place at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 3. View the full bracket below.

Key West wins third straight, advances in Bellevue Tournament

Jordan Hohensee and Andrew Redman continued their impressive early-season performances to lead Key West to a 4-2 win over East Dubuque in the first round of the Bellevue Tournament on Sunday. It marked the Ramblers' third-straight win and pushes them to the quarterfinals at Bellevue, where Key West (6-3) will take on Dubuque at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Hohensee moved to 3-0 with his third complete game of the young season. The native of Brooklyn, Iowa, finally had his string of 22 innings without allowing an earned run snapped when he gave up a two-run homer to Sam Real in the sixth. He eventually settled back in and retired the final five hitters of the game to extend the Rambler win streak.

Redman, second baseman and No. 2 hitter on Sunday, went a perfect 3-for-3 with three singles, two runs, an RBI and a walk. He singled and scored the first run of the game on left fielder Brett LaMere's RBI double in the third. After nine games, Redman is 19-for-32 (.594) with three homers and 12 RBIs.

LaMere added a second run-scoring double in the seventh to give Hohensee an extra run to work with. Redman and LaMere combined for five of the team's six hits against East Dubuque hurler Jack Hoffman.

Hohensee finished with seven strikeouts. He scattered six hits and two walks. His season ERA bumped up to 0.75 in 24 innings over four appearances.

Tuesday's clash with Dubuque will be the first this season. The Blues have won the last six meetings. They advanced in Bellevue by drubbing Peosta, 11-1, on Sunday.

Monster eighth inning powers blowout of Monticello

Key West exploded for 12 runs in the eighth inning and ran away with an 18-1 Eastern Iowa Hawkeye League victory at Monticello on Wednesday night. Andrew Redman drilled his third homer of the season and was one of five different Ramblers to pile up two or more hits. Winner of back-to-back games for the first time this season, the Ramblers are 5-3 overall and 2-1 in EIHL action.

The Ramblers led only 4-1 going into the eighth inning - a long frame that saw Key West send 21 hitters to the plate. Shortstop Dan Spain and center fielder Ben Oglesby both had two hits during the inning that started with Oglesby's single.

Spain led the attack with a 4-for-6 evening that included a double, three singles, three runs and four RBIs from the No. 2 spot in the lineup. From the leadoff spot, Redman began the game with a home run. Through eight contests, Redman is 16-for-29 with three home runs, three doubles, 11 RBIs and a 1.583 OPS.

Making his second start on the hill, Anthony Ruden went seven strong innings. He allowed just a single unearned run on two hits and five walks. He struck out five. He then gave way to Jordan Hohensee who threw scoreless eighth and ninth innings.

In addition to multiple hit games for Spain and Redman (2-for-6), Tim Carty went 3-for-5, Oglesby 3-for-6 and Jose Stelluti 2-for-4.

The Ramblers have now totaled a combined 32 runs on 30 hits over the last two games. They've won those contests by a combined score of 32-1.

After playing six-straight days, the Ramblers now enjoy a few days off before returning to action on Sunday when they take on East Dubuque at 12 p.m. in the first round of the Bellevue Tournament.

Ramblers rebound from loss to Bellevue, clobber Farley

After a 3-0 loss to Bellevue on Monday, Key West responded in a big way with a 14-0 victory over host Farley on Tuesday. The Ramblers, who have alternated wins and losses through the season's first seven games, are now 4-3 overall.

Just after being held to two hits by Bellevue, the Ramblers busted loose with 13 hits the next day at Farley. Andrew Redman came through with two more hits, including a two-run double in the fifth inning. Redman was one of six different Ramblers to record two or more hits on the evening.

Key West's top four hitters in the lineup - second baseman Luis Reyes, shortstop Andrew Redman, pitcher Dan Spain and first baseman Chris Briggs - combined to 8-for-16 with 12 RBIs and six runs. No. 5 batter Brett LaMere also added his first career home run - a two-run shot in the fourth.

On the mound, Spain made his first appearance and fired a two-hit, seven-inning shutout. He struck out eight and scattered four walks. On the other side, Will Petroski started on the hill.

In the loss to Bellevue, the Rambler bats were shut down by pitcher Pete Bonifas. Key West was set down in order in five of the seven innings.

Matt Lozano took the loss in his first start of the season for the Ramblers. He gave up all three runs in his 3.1 innings of work.

Key West returns to action tonight (May 21) with a 7 p.m. Eastern Iowa Hawkeye League tilt at Monticello.

Redman stays white hot, Ramblers run-rule Bernard

Andrew Redman went 5-for-5 on Sunday and Key West rolled up a 12-2, 10-run rule victory over visiting Bernard. The victory came a day after the Ramblers struggled offensively in a 3-0 loss to Farley in the EIHL preseason tournament title game. Key West now sits at 3-2 overall.

Redman, now 12-for-17 (.706) through the first five games, got things going early in the win over Bernard with a base hit and a run as part of a two-run first. The Rambler second baseman then mashed an RBI double in a three-run third. He helped end the game in the eighth with a run-scoring single as part of a five-run frame.

Shortstop Dan Spain also enjoyed a fine day. He went 3-for-5 with a fifth-inning homer - his first of the season and 13th of his Rambler career. Spain drove in one and scored three times out of the No. 2 spot in the lineup.

On the mound, Kenny Capesius made his first start of the season. He fired an eight-inning complete game, posting a line of: five strikeouts, two walks, five hits and two runs (both earned). Bernard got its only two runs off Capesius on Matt McCullough's two-run blast with two outs in the top of the fourth.

Key West totaled 17 hits versus Bernard. Additional Ramblers with two or more hits included center fielder Ben Oglesby (2-for-4) and third baseman Luis Reyes (2-for-4).

In Saturday's loss to Farley, the Ramblers managed only three hits off of Jared McIntosh. Redman kept his hitting streak intact by recording a fifth-inning single.

Jake Schaeffer started on the mound for Key West and was tagged with the loss. He allowed two runs (both earned) on four hits and three walks in 3.2 innings.

The Ramblers continue a busy early-season stretch with games Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday:
Monday, May 19: at Bellevue, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, May 20: at Farley, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, May 21: at Monticello, 7 p.m.

Redman's bat, Hohensee's arm lift Ramblers to EIHL championship

Two solo home runs from Andrew Redman and a seven-inning complete game shutout from Jordan

Hohensee pushed Key West past Rickardsville, 2-0, in Friday night's EIHL preseason tournament semifinal game in Rickardsville. The Ramblers improved to 2-1 overall by avenging a 5-3 loss to Rickardsville three days earlier.

Key West will play tonight (May 17) at 8:30 in the championship game against Farley, who defeated Dubuque 1-0 on Friday.

Against veteran Rickardsville hurler Tim Felderman, the Ramblers managed only three hits. But Redman made two of them count in a big way. He led off the fourth with his first blast and then added another with two outs in the top of the seventh. Redman went 2-for-3 in the game and is now 6-for-9 in the season's first three contests.

Those two big flies were enough for Hohensee, who has yet to allow an earned run in his first 15 innings of work. On Friday the Clarke University pitcher struck out six and surrendered only four hits and two walks. He allowed the first two hitters to reach base in both the third and fourth innings but was able to wiggle his way out of trouble.

Key West has enjoyed plenty of recent success against Rickardsville. Dating back to August 2011, the Ramblers have won nine of the last 11 meetings. Last season against Saturday's opponent, Farley, Key West went 2-2.

2014 Key West Ramblers program

View the 2014 Key West Ramblers program HERE.

Ramblers begin 2014 season 1-1

Key West began the 2014 season on Saturday, May 10 with a 4-2, eight-inning victory over Cascade in the quarterfinals of the EIHL preseason tournament. After a rain out on May 11, the Ramblers returned to action on Tuesday and fell 5-3 to Rickardsville in the EIHL regular-season opener.  Key West will carry a 1-1 record into Friday's rematch with Rickardsville - an EIHL semifinal clash.

Clarke standout Andrew Redman is off to a hot start with four hits in his first six at bats. He reached base in all four plate appearances in the win over Cascade. Redman has played second base in both contests to begin the campaign. He drove in the first run of last week's game with an RBI single to score Brett LaMere.

The Ramblers broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the eighth inning with Ben Oglesby's sacrifice fly to right. Key West added one more run to provide enough cushion for starting pitcher Jordan Hohensee, also a Clarke pitcher.

Hohensee went all eight innings and did not allow a single earned run while scattering five hits and a walk to go with his seven strikeouts.

Shortstop Dan Spain tallied three hits, including a double, in the win. Spain is 4-for-8 in the season's first two games.

Rickardsville got a run apiece in the eighth and ninth innings off of Key West reliever Braydon Poole in the Ramblers' first loss of the season. Leadoff hitter Luis Reyes and Oglesby both went 2-for-4 to lead the Key West attack.

Because of another postponement on Thursday, the Ramblers now look forward to resuming the EIHL tournament in Worthington on Friday. First pitch between Key West and Rickardsville is slated for 7 p.m.

Thursday (May 15) game postponed until May 19

Due to rain, Key West's scheduled game at Bellevue on Thursday (May 15) has been postponed. The contest will be made up on Monday, May 19 at 7 p.m.

Ramblers thank supporters of team fundraiser

The Key West Ramblers would like to thank all those who supported the April 27 team fundraiser at Happy's Place. More than 250 tickets were sold, raising money for the team and for Research For The Cure.

2014 schedule announced

The 2014 Key West Ramblers schedule has been released. The slate will be adjusted throughout the season to reflect changes and tournament additions. The Ramblers are scheduled to play 15 Prairie League games and 14 EIHL games.

View the complete schedule HERE or via the link at the top right of the page.

Ramblers to host fundraiser at Happy's Place on Sunday, April 27

The Key West Ramblers will hold a team fundraiser on Sunday, April 27 from 1 - 5 p.m. at Happy's Place in Dubuque. Happy's is located at 2323 Rockdale Road.

Tickets can be purchased for $20 at any of the area places listed in the flyer posted below or by calling John Knabel. The purchase comes with a chicken and ham dinner.

Key West matched against East Dubuque in first round at Bellevue

The 2014 Bellevue Baseball tournament pairings have been released. Key West will take on East Dubuque at 12 p.m. on Sunday, May 25 in first-round action. The full bracket is posted below.

 

Pairings set for EIHL Pre-Season Tournament

The Key West Ramblers are set to begin the 2014 season on Saturday, May 10 at the EIHL Pre-Season Tournament to be held in Worthington. Key West will take on Cascade at 7 p.m. in the first round of the annual tourney. The complete tournament bracket is posted below.