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.