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.