Ramblers capture EIHL crown for second title of weekend

The Key West Ramblers wrapped up a grueling four-games-in-two-days stretch as part of a thrilling finish to the 2017 season. After claiming their fifth Prairie League title in team history on Saturday, the Ramblers notched EIHL championship No. 3 on Sunday by knocking off both Dyersville, 6-0, and host Cascade, 4-1.

It was the proper sendoff for John Knabel, who managed the final games of his semi-pro career on Sunday. Over 14 years leading Key West, Knabel racked up 409 wins and 22 tournament championships. The 2017 Ramblers (42-15) were the fourth squad in team history to reach the 40-win mark. Key West has been especially dominant over the past three years, going a combined 135-36-1 during that stretch.

Knabel told the Telegraph Herald, "I love the guys who have played for me, and I'm going to miss being around them."

Nick Woltkamp and Andrew Redman were the latest Ramblers to toss seven-inning complete games in playoff action. In the win over Dyersville, Woltkamp fired a six-hit shutout despite recording only one strikeout. Offensively, Lake Rosson delivered a two-run homer and Ian Moller drilled a solo shot. Out of the No. 5 spot in the lineup, Brett LaMere went 3-for-3 with a pair of RBIs and a stolen base.

Redman then put the finishing touches on another championship by limiting the Reds to one run on four hits. The Clarke University product ended his season with a perfect 10-0 record and an impressive 1.29 ERA in 77 innings of work. This season Redman also broke a team single-season record by homering 12 times. In support of Redman, LaMere added two more RBIs, helping Key West hold off pitcher Pat Weber and Cascade.

Woltkamp wound up breaking his own team single-season records for innings pitched (137.2) and appearances on the mound (26). Woltkamp is the all-time winningest pitcher in Ramblers history with 40 wins.

Key West won four tournaments in 2017. It also celebrated titles at Dyersville and at Farley. At 22-6 in tournament play, the Ramblers boasted the highest tournament winning percentage of any area semi-pro teams.

Prairie League Champs!

For the fifth time in time history, the Key West Ramblers are champions of the Prairie League. Key West captured the title by winning twice on Saturday as part of a four-team playoff. The Ramblers defeated Bernard, 5-2, and then Bellevue, 9-4. Key West (40-15) also won Prairie League titles in 2008, 2011, 2012 and 2016.

Back-to-back seven-inning complete game pitching performances gave the Ramblers a big boost on Saturday. Brett LaMere allowed just a single earned run in the semifinal victory over Bernard. Anthony Razo then struck out seven hitters while getting plenty of support from what's been a dynamic offense all season.

At the plate, Nick Woltkamp enjoyed a 3-for-4 day that included a triple and a pair of runs scored in the championship game. Ian Moller went 2-for-3 and drove in four runs as part of the outburst in the title victory. Meanwhile, Razo collected two hits in both contests and Andrew Redman went 3-for-6 for the day and reached base a total of five times.

The Ramblers were set to return to action for the EIHL playoffs on Sunday (Aug. 20) afternoon in Cascade. It will mark the final day of the 2017 season. The first semifinal features Key West and Dyersville at 1 p.m. The winner will advance to play either Cascade or Rickardsville in the championship at 4:30 p.m.

Peosta Tournament run ends, playoffs loom

Despite a furious rally, the Key West Ramblers were eliminated from the Peosta Tournament after a 9-7 quarterfinal loss to Cascade on Tuesday. Two days earlier, Andrew Redman homered and threw another complete game in a 3-1 victory over Farley in the first round of the Peosta Tournament. Now all that remains on the 2017 schedule for Key West (38-15) are the Prairie League and EIHL Playoffs (Aug. 19-20).

In Sunday's win in Peosta, Redman set down nine hitters on strikes over a seven-inning complete game. He allowed only four hits and a walk to Farley hitters while out-dueling Andy Seabrooke. Redman pummeled his 13th homer of the year in the first inning. Anthony Ruden delivered the deciding runs with a two-run double in the fourth.

In the loss to Cascade, Key West tried to dig out of a 9-0 hole. Trailing 9-7 in the bottom of the seventh, the Ramblers put the tying run on base after a Ruden RBI single. Nick Woltkamp then struck out and Chad Crabill flew out to end the threat. It was a big offensive day for Crabill, who went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs. Unfortunately, Cascade tagged Woltkamp for nine runs (six earned) in his four innings on the mound.

Back on Aug. 10, Key West wrapped up regular-season play for 2017 with a 3-0 victory over New Vienna. Brett LaMere homered and tossed a three-hit shutout. He struck out eight hitters. Out of the No. 9 spot in the lineup, John Knabel went 2-for-3 and drove in a run.

The season will conclude this weekend with two four-team playoffs. The Ramblers will take on Bernard at 12 p.m. on Saturday (Aug. 19) in the Prairie League semifinals at Bernard. They will play again on Saturday in the Prairie League championship should they defeat Bernard. Then on Sunday, the entire EIHL playoffs will unfold in Cascade. Key West draws Dyersville in a 1 p.m. semifinal matchup.

Redman breaks home run record in pair of Sunday wins

Two solid pitching performances and a home run by Andrew Redman in both ends of a home-away doubleheader on Sunday helped push the Key West Ramblers to two league victories. In an afternoon affair, Key West topped Zwingle, 3-1, in Peosta. The Ramblers (35-14) then traveled to Monticello and won by a 4-2 decision.

Redman has been on an incredible tear at the plate. With a solo homer in the third inning of the win over Zwingle, Redman equaled Chris Briggs' team single-season record of 11 home runs, set back in 2012. Redman then broke the record with another solo shot that sealed the victory over Monticello. Redman has hit seven of his 12 home runs over the past seven games, a 6-1 stretch for the Ramblers.

On the mound, Tom Casey and Lake Rosson both tossed complete games, allowing just a combined six hits over 14 innings. Casey did not surrender a single earned run to Zwingle, which managed only two hits. Rosson limited the damage to two runs on five walks and four hits in his own seven-inning effort.

It was a nice day out of the No. 7 spot in the lineup for Matt Stevens, who went 3-for-5 with a double and a stolen base. He's raised his season average to .253 with a recent hot streak. Additionally, Ben Oglesby went 2-for-4 in the second game of the day.

Key West was scheduled to return to action on Monday (Aug. 7) and host Holy Cross in a league game. First pitch was slated for 7 p.m.

Ramblers blast Balltown for Dyersville title, 400th all-time win

For many reasons, Saturday's Dyersville Tournament championship game was a memorable one for the Key West Ramblers. Tournament MVP Andrew Redman equaled a team record with three home runs in the contest, lifting Key West to an 18-3 demolition of a loaded up Balltown team. Redman and company roughed up former Major League Baseball draft pick Alec Rash on the way to their second-straight title in Dyersville.

Now 33-14 overall this season, the Ramblers have improved to 400-224-1 since John Knabel rebooted Key West semi-pro baseball in 2004. Gradually, the Ramblers became one of the areas most dominant teams, posting records of 40-12 in 2012, 44-14-1 in 2015 and an almost spotless 49-7 mark in 2016.

Said Redman in an interview with the Telegraph Herald, "Coming in as a high school player 11 years ago, I understand what it took to become a legit team. There are a lot of really good teams in this area, and it's not easy to win games. It took a lot of hard work from guys like John Knabel and Paul Carty and a lot of great players to get to the point where we can have this kind of success."

Not since Michael Jimenez versus Placid on May 15, 2011, had any Rambler drilled three home runs in a single game. On Saturday, Redman struck for his eighth, ninth and 10th home runs on the year. That effort came three days after he mashed a pair of homers in an 8-4 loss at Rickardsville. Redman is now knocking on the door of the team single-season home run record of 11, a total recorded by Chris Briggs in 2012.

Matt Stevens joined Redman (also the Farley Tournament MVP) with three hits in support of pitcher Nick Woltkamp. Anthony Razo and Lake Rosson both went 2-for-4 as part of the 19-hit explosion. The Ramblers greeted Rash rudely, just like they did to University of Iowa pitcher Drake Robison, who went up against Key West as a member of Cascade on June 10 at the Farley Tournament.

Key West has now won three championships at Dyersville (2012, 2016 and 2017) and has captured two town titles this season. In team history, the Ramblers have claimed 20 tournament championships.

Key West's road through the Dyersville Tournament included wins over Cascade, 11-6, the Dubuque Buds, 5-4, Bernard, 10-0 (six innings) and Balltown.

All-time tournament titles
Bellevue (2016)
Dyersville (2012, 2016, 2017)
EIHL postseason (2014, 2015)
EIHL preseason (2011, 2015)
Farley (2011, 2014, 2016, 2017)
Peosta (2016)
Prairie League (2008, 2011, 2012, 2016)
Rickardsville (2015)
Worthington (2012)
Zwingle Fest (2007)