Ramblers win first-round game at Dyersville

Key West is now 11-2 over its last 13 games following Sunday's (July 30) first-round action at the Dyersville Tournament. Winner of 2012 and 2016 Dyersville Tournament championships, the Ramblers defeated Cascade, 11-6, in bracket play behind another strong offensive performance. Key West has improved to 28-12 overall.

After falling behind 4-0 in the third inning, the Ramblers responded with seven runs in the bottom of the third. Chris Briggs highlighted the frame with a three-run homer (team high sixth of the season). Matt Stevens added an RBI single and Ben Oglesby later drove in two more with a base hit.

It was a big night for Oglesby, who went 3-for-5 with a pair of runs and two RBIs. He also caught the game-ending fly ball as Cascade attempted to mount a seventh-inning rally. Brett LaMere also went 2-for-4 with two RBIs out of the No. 5 spot in the lineup. Making his first appearance of the season as a Rambler, Anthony Ruden walked twice and drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.

On the mound, Andrew Redman made his eighth start while squaring off against opposing pitcher Pat Weber. Despite the third-inning struggle, Redman fired 1-2-3 innings in the first, fifth and sixth frames. He moved his record to 7-0 to go along with a 1.53 ERA in 53 innings. He also went 1-for-3 with two runs, a walk and a hit-by-pitch at the plate on Sunday.

The Ramblers will attempt to extend their Dyersville Tournament winning streak to six when they play in the quarterfinals at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday (Aug. 3). The Dubuque Buds advanced to play Key West courtesy of a 3-2 win over Farley. The Ramblers are also scheduled to be in action Monday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday of this week.

Ramblers place third at Rickardsville, eke past Peosta

In action to begin the week, the Key West Ramblers took a 5-4 decision from Peosta on Monday night, wrapping up the Rickardsville Tournament. Key West dropped down to the third-place game after a 9-6 loss to Farley in the semifinals on Sunday. The Ramblers now stand at 26-12 overall.

First baseman Chris Briggs has now homered in three-straight games. He delivered a three-run homer in the first inning of Monday's win. Then in the third frame, Brett LaMere struck for a solo shot. Briggs and LaMere are tied for the team lead with five home runs apiece on the season. A fifth run came home on Anthony Razo's RBI single.

Key West won despite going scoreless over the final four innings. Austin Simmons started on the mound and went 4.2 innings, limiting the damage to four runs (three earned) although he surrendered six hits and five walks. LaMere got the final seven outs and earned the save while holding Peosta off the board in the sixth and seventh frames.

The loss to Farley interrupted an eight-game win streak. Farley managed to tag Nick Woltkamp for 11 hits and eight earned runs. A home run apiece by Briggs and Redman was not enough. Redman went 2-for-2 and reached base in all four plate appearances. Briggs turned in a 3-for-4 game.

Key West is scheduled to return to action tonight (July 25) for an EIHL game at Cascade. First pitch is set for 7 p.m.

Win streak moves to eight, Ramblers advance in Rickardsville

Andrew Redman turned in another masterful outing on the mound while leading the Key West Ramblers to a season high eighth victory in a row. The latest win came by a 4-0 decision over Bellevue in Saturday's Rickardsville Tournament quarterfinal action. Winner of the Farley Tournament, The Ramblers (25-10) are aiming for their second tournament championship of 2017.

After allowing a fourth-inning single, Redman went on to retire the final 10 Bellevue hitters he faced. Now 6-0 with a 0.96 ERA over 47 innings this season, Redman allowed five hits and did not walk a single batter on Saturday. He recorded seven strikeouts while notching his sixth complete game of the year.

At the plate, Redman doubled and then was on board for Chris Briggs' two-run homer in the first. The Ramblers tacked on with two more insurance runs in the fourth to provide plenty of support for their ace hurler. Brett LaMere went 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles and a run scored out of the No. 5 spot in the lineup. Six Key West hitters collected at least one hit while going up against Bellevue pitcher Dave Smith.

The Ramblers were fresh off blowout victories over Farley, 14-0 (July 18), and Holy Cross, 18-4 (July 20). Redman homered and Lake Rosson registered four hits in the win over Holy Cross. In the Farley win, Nick Woltkamp routinely pitched out of trouble in an 11-hit shutout. Briggs also homered in that contest.

Key West is scheduled to play again today (July 23) at 6:30 p.m. in the semifinals at Rickardsville. The Ramblers will take on Farley. The other side of the bracket features host Rickardsville versus Peosta.

Ramblers hold off Worthington

Despite leaving a trail of base runners (13 LOB), the Key West Ramblers escaped Worthington with an 8-6 road victory on Thursday night. Lake Rosson made his first start on the mound and both Ricky Marinez and Nate Woltkamp homered, helping Key West move to 19-10 overall and 6-2 in Eastern Iowa Hawkeye League play.

The game remained tied until the top of the sixth when Woltkamp blasted his third homer of the season, providing a 7-6 advantage. The Ramblers added an insurance run on Ben Oglesby's RBI single in the ninth. It was a big day for Marinez, who went 3-for-5, scored twice and drove in a pair of runs.

Rosson made it through five innings, allowing six runs (all earned) on five hits and five walks. Woltkamp then covered the final four frames without surrendering a run. Woltkamp benefited from double plays in both the seventh and ninth innings. The game ended when Rosson caught a line drive at third and then tossed the ball to first for the twin killing. Woltkamp earned his first save of the season.

Key West concluded the contest with 11 hits, including multiple knocks from three players: Marinez (3-for-5), Oglesby (2-for-5) and Woltkamp (2-for-5). Out of the leadoff spot, Anthony Razo reached base in five of six plate appearances (single, three walks, HBP).

The Ramblers are scheduled to return to action on Saturday when they open play at the Rickardsville Tournament versus the Dubuque Buds at 5 p.m. in first round action.

LaMere, Rosson go deep in win over Dyersville

A four-run second inning and a sixth-inning grand slam by Brett LaMere propelled the Key West Ramblers to an 11-6 win over Dyersville in an EIHL game in Peosta on Tuesday night. LaMere doubled and homered as part of a 3-for-4 night. Lake Rosson added his first career home run as a Rambler in a victory that pushed Key West to 18-10 overall.

Once again, Nick Woltkamp took the ball on the mound. He fired a seven-inning complete game, scattering 10 hits. He allowed only two earned runs through the first six frames before surrendering three tallies in the seventh with the game already in hand. Woltkamp has delivered 79.2 innings on the mound.

LaMere (3-for-4), Rosson (2-for-4), Ben Oglesby (2-for-3, triple, two RBI) and Anthony Razo (2-for-3, two RBI) all collected two hits apiece for Key West. The Ramblers scored four runs in the second, two in the third, one in the fifth and four in the sixth. LaMere broke the game open with a grand slam that narrowly stayed fair inside the left field foul pole.

Key West is scheduled to return to action Thursday at Worthington. First pitch is set for 7 p.m.

Ramblers let lead slip away at Cascade Tournament

The Key West Ramblers led by as many as three runs on Saturday night, but even a 4-1 lead with Andrew Redman on the mound didn't hold up. The Dubuque Buds tied the game with two runs in the seventh and eventually walked off a winner, 6-5, in the 11th in first-round action at the Cascade Tournament.

Redman entered the night having not allowed a single run or walk in 26 innings this season. This time around, he wasn't quite his usual dominant self. He surrendered a first-inning run and wound up issuing four free passes. He worked eight innings, giving up five runs (all earned) on 10 hits. He struck out seven hitters.

With Redman's pitch count soaring, Nick Woltkamp took the ball in the ninth. He worked 1-2-3 frames in both the ninth and 10th. The game appeared on its way to the 12th when Woltkamp got JJ Reimer to pop up to left center. However, the ball was dropped, allowing the game-winning run to score.

Key West (17-10) matched Dubuque's 10 hits while up against Mark Hennessy. Every Rambler had exactly one hit with the exception of Jake Oglesby, who went 2-for-5. All 10 hits were singles. Five out of six hitters either singled or walked during Key West's three-run third inning that put it in front, 4-1.

The Ramblers return to league play on Monday when they play the Dubuque Buds once again. Game time from Petrakis Park is set for 7 p.m.

Ramblers settle for third place at Worthington

The Key West Ramblers were a hair length away from advancing to another tournament championship game, but wound up in third place at the Worthington Tournament, which concluded on Saturday (July 1). A day after suffering a 4-3 walk-off loss at the hands of Farley in the semifinals, Key West rebounded by pummeling host Worthington, 11-1 (five innings), in the consolation game.

The Ramblers were rained out Sunday (July 2) at Rickardsville in a scheduled EIHL contest. The game will be made up at a later date. Key West now stands at 17-9 overall this season.

The Ramblers have appeared invincible whenever Andrew Redman has been on the mound. The Clarke alum has now hurled 26 innings without allowing a single run this season after he fired a four-hit shutout in a 6-0 win over the Dubuque Buds on Thursday. Redman struck out 10 hitters, pushing his 2017 strikeout total to 39. He has yet to walk a single batter in his four complete game performances this summer.

The victory over Dubuque pushed Key West into the semifinals at Worthington. Brett LaMere spurred the offensive attack with a three-run homer that broke a scoreless tie in the third inning. He added a single and scored as part of a three-run sixth that put the game out of reach. Chad Crabill (2-for-2, walk) and Dan Spain (2-for-4) added a pair of hits apiece versus Dubuque, which started Brad Schwind on the hill.

Behind Redman, the tournament MVP, the Ramblers won three games by a single run during their Farley championship run in mid-June. In the Worthington semifinals on Friday, Key West let a 3-2 lead slip away. Farley, the eventual Worthington titlist, snuck by the Ramblers with two runs in the bottom of the seventh off starter Nick Woltkamp.

Key West bounced back from the loss by winning twice on Saturday when it topped Zwingle, 4-2, and then blasted Worthington. LaMere made his fifth pitching start of the campaign and held Zwingle to one earned run on six hits and two walks. He also struck out six hitters. A Matt Stevens two-run double in the first got the Ramblers on top immediately.

LaMere then starred with the bat versus Worthington. He went 3-for-3 with a double and a walk. Woltkamp collected two hits and drove in three runs. Tyler Malcook doubled and reached base in all three plate appearances. Dan Sardina pitched for the first time as a Rambler and went all five innings. He gave up one unearned run on three hits and three walks.

Key West is scheduled to return to action next Saturday (July 8) at the Cascade Tournament. It will meet the Dubuque Buds at 7:30 p.m. The Ramblers may also reschedule make-up games between now and then. Rescheduled games will be updated on the schedule page.

Razo, Redman set to start in all-star game

Three Key West Ramblers were recently named to the 2017 Eastern Iowa Hawkeye League all-star roster. Key West's honorees are repeat selections Andrew Redman and Nick Woltkamp and first-time all-star Anthony Razo. A starter at second base last season, Redman will start at short this year. Razo has been tabbed as the starting center fielder.

The Telegraph Herald Semi-Pro All-Star Game is set for a 5:30 p.m. first pitch on Sunday, July 9. Commercial Club Park in Dyersville will serve as the venue.

Razo has been a force at the top of the lineup. He entered Sunday (July 2) with a slash line of .387 (BA)/.495 (OBP)/.560 (SLG). He has produced two home runs, seven doubles, 21 RBIs, 18 runs scored and eight stolen bases while appearing in 23 games.

Redman has been especially impressive as a pitcher this season. He has thrown 26 innings without allowing a single run in 2017. He owns an otherworldly 39-to-0 strikeout-to-walk ratio and has limited opposing hitters to a .105 batting average. At the plate, Redman is hitting .309 with three home runs and 16 RBIs. He sports a .467 on-base percentage and .527 slugging percentage.

Woltkamp has also had a stellar season with his bat and arm. He will be a reserve for the EIHL after serving as the all-star starting pitcher in 2016. Woltkamp is hitting .353 with two home runs and a team high 23 RBIs. He also has six doubles and five triples, feeding into a robust .612 slugging percentage. On the mound, Woltkamp has logged 70 innings, owns a 7-3 record and has an ERA of 2.57. The control artist has walked only 12 hitters all year.

2017 ALL-STAR ROSTERS

Eastern Iowa Hawkeye League
Coach: Paul Scherrman, Farley
P: Brad Schwind, Dubuque Buds
C: Mike Muto, Dubuque Buds
1B: Mike Goerdt, Dyersville
2B: Brian Miller, Farley
3B: Ryan Mabe, Rickardsville
SS: Andrew Redman, Key West
LF: Nate McMullen, Cascade
CF: Anthony Razo, Key West
RF: Tanner Felton, Monticello
DH: Mitch Gotto, Worthington

Reserves
Robbie Anstoetter, Farley
Nathan Hall, Rickardsville
Jack Hoffman, Rickardsville
Marquis Dew, Worthington
Josh McQuillen, Cascade
Jeremy Vaassen, Holy Cross
Danny Weiss, Dubuque Buds
Nick Woltkamp, Key West
Ben Zitelman, Dyersville

Prairie League
Coach: Chet Knake, Bellevue
P: Chase Kueter, Bellevue
C: Josh Hlubek, Peosta
1B: Brett Featherston, Epworth
2B: Joe Kruiser, Zwingle
3B: Nate Ramler, Peosta
SS: Gavin Nadermann, Epworth
LF: Kyle Behnke, Balltown
CF: Austin Brown, Bernard
RF: Miles Launspach, New Vienna
DH: Chet Knake, Bellevue

Reserves
Brady Breitbach, Balltown
Luke Carroll, Dubuque Packers
JJ Connolly, Epworth
Isaac Evans, New Vienna
Max Hoffman, Bernard
Neil Lange, Placid
Travis Lyons, Zwingle
Ries Rausch, Bernard
Jake Schroeder, Bellevue