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.