Ramblers reel off three more victories, move to 5-0

For the second-straight season, the Ramblers have won each of their first five games. Since Saturday, Key West has rattled off victories over Monticello, Dubuque and Rickardsville.

After cruising to an 8-0 five-inning run-rule win over Monticello in the first round of the Preseason EIHL Tournament at Farley on Saturday, the Ramblers squeaked out a 4-3 Prairie League triumph over Dubuque on Sunday. Spencer Kuehn picked up the win on the mound and also collected a double at the plate. Mark Hennessy took the loss for the Blues.

In the team's first EIHL game of the season on Wednesday, Key West pulled out another tight contest, winning 6-4 in Rickardsville. Ben Cottrell notched the win with a stellar effort on the mound. Sean O'Connor later came in and got out of a tough jam in in the eighth after Kuehn had struggled in relief of Cottrell. O'Connor earned the save as the Ramblers improved to 5-0.

Rickardsville's three-run eighth made it a 5-4 game, but Chris Briggs responded with a solo homer in the ninth to cap all scoring and gave the Ramblers some extra breathing room. Dan Spain also homered for Key West.

Four Ramblers - Briggs (3-for-5), Spain (2-for-5), Chad Crabill (2-for-5) and Brian Solemaas (2-for-5) - belted at least two hits.

Key West hit the road again Thursday for a 7 p.m. EIHL game with Monticello.

Denlinger double keys Rambler rally

Shaky defense and fourth-inning wildness from starting pitcher Sean O'Connor led the Ramblers into a 4-2 hole Friday night, but a sixth-inning rally put Key West up for good on the way to a 7-5 Prairie League road victory over Bellevue.

Center fielder Tanner Denlinger had the big blow in the sixth, a two-run double that pushed the Ramblers in front, 6-4. Denlinger's key hit highlighted the four-run outburst in the frame.

O'Connor, who went 10-1 last season, picked up his first win of the season by going six innings. He allowed four runs (none earned), three hits and five walks to go along with three strikeouts. Kyle Staats relieved O'Connor in the seventh and fired the final three innings to get the save. Staats battled wildness (four walks), but struck out six.

Spencer Kuhen and Sergio Cruz, both playing in their first career games as Ramblers, tallied three hits apiece for the victors. In addition, Caleb Johnson went 2-for-4 as part of a 12-hit attack. Seven Ramblers recorded at least one hit.

Key West is back in action Saturday at 8:30 p.m. when it plays Monticello in the first round of the EIHL Preseason Tournament at Farley Park. The Ramblers will also host Dubuque at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday at Table Mound Field.

Ramblers cruise in 2012 opener

The Key West Ramblers began their defense of last season's Prairie League title on Sunday by pounding visiting Placid, 14-2, at Table Mound Field. Newcomer Brian Solemaas pitched four quality innings and cracked a grand slam as part of the Ramblers' seven-run fourth to highlight the opening day victory.

Solemaas, the pitching coach at Clarke University, tossed four innings, allowing four hits and one earned run to go along with five strikeouts in his Key West debut. Chad Crabill also starred in the batter's box for Key West, going a perfect 4-for-4 with a double and a hit by pitch. Crabill added two runs and two RBIs.

Placid got on the board first with a Chris Powers RBI single in the top of the first, but the Ramblers responded with four runs in the bottom half. All nine hitters came to the plate in the frame, with Crabill's two-run double providing the ignition.

The Ramblers later batted around in the fourth inning, increasing their lead to 12-1 by the time it was over. Kelly got the scoring started with a two-run double of his own to make it 7-1. After Crabill was hit by a pitch and Tanner Denlinger walked, Solemaas strolled to the plate with the bases loaded. He proceeded to connect on the 1-0 pitch for the first Key West home run of the season. A bases-loaded walk by Cory Davidson five batters later capped the fourth-inning explosion.

Nine Rambler hitters tallied at least one hit and three recorded two or more hits. Chris Briggs went 2-for-2 with a walk, two runs and an RBI in support of Crabill's big day. Shortstop Dan Spain collected two hits in four at-bats with a run and an RBI.

Placid's John Powers led the Pirate attack with a 3-for-4 performance, while Matt Moore was tagged with the loss on the mound.

Key West continues Prairie League play on Friday when it takes on Bellevue on the road. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. The Ramblers will also be in action on Saturday and Sunday.

2012 Key West Ramblers Program

Pairings Set for Preseason EIHL Tournament

The Ramblers will look to defend their title at last season's Preseason EIHL Tournament when they take the field at Farley Park on May 12 at 8:30 p.m. Second-seeded Key West draws seventh-seeded Monticello in the first round. The Ramblers won by scores of 11-3 and 11-1 in two meetings in 2011.

2012 EIHL Preseason Tournament (all games played at Farley Park)
(Seeding based upon last season's regular-season EIHL finish)

First Round - May 11
No. 4 Farley vs. No. 5 Rickardsville, 7 p.m.
No. 1 Dubuque vs. No. 8 Worthington, 8:30 p.m.

First Round - May 12
No. 3 Cascade vs. No. 6 Dyersville, 7 p.m.
No. 2 Key West vs. No. 7 Monticello, 8:30 p.m.

Semifinals - May 18
Dubuque/Worthington vs. Farley/Rickardsville, 7 p.m.
Key West/Monticello vs. Cascade/Dyersville, 8:30 p.m.

Consolation Game - May 19
5 p.m.

Championship - May 19
6:30 p.m.

Career Statistics Update

Career statistics dating back to the 2005 season have been updated for all noteworthy Key West Ramblers. Simply click on "Career Statistics" at the top right under "Rambler Links."

Some highlights include Dan Spain's franchise record .358 career batting average and Ned Schauff's Rambler-best 300 career strikeouts. Chris Briggs' seven home runs and 35 RBIs in 2010 still stand as a team single-season records.

2011 Season in Review

The Key West Ramblers enjoyed a banner season in 2011 as they became more than just a quality team. They rose to become one of the truly elite teams on the Eastern Iowa semi-pro circuit this season. The team's 35-13 record set a new franchise mark since re-joining the area baseball scene in 2004.

Key West took Eastern Iowa baseball by storm when it won 14 of its first 15 games of the season - the best 15-game run the team has seen under the guidance of coaches John Knabel and Paul Carty. The Ramblers grabbed championships in two the of season's first three tournaments, including wins at the EIHL preseason tournament and at Farley. The early-season success spurred the club on to playoff appearances in both the EIHL and the Prairie League for the fifth-consecutive season.

Ben Cottrell made sure Key West ended the season just as it started when he clubbed a dramatic walk-off grand slam to lift the Ramblers to a Prairie League championship over Farley on Aug. 26. Cottrell's blast is almost certainly the biggest hit in eight years of Ramblers baseball. His hit set off a joyous celebration around home plate as Cottrell crossed it for the game-winning run.

In between the red-hot start and amazing Prairie League title finish were a lot of one-run ballgames. The Ramblers played in 18 games decided by just one run, winning 12 of them. Seven of Key West's eight wins between June 28 and July 19 came by a single run.

The Ramblers found ways to win thanks to a great roster of old and new faces. The addition of pitcher Sean O'Connor proved especially important as he went on to lead the pitching staff in every major statistical category. O'Connor threw 80 innings, posted a 2.36 ERA, struck out 71 and won 10 games, tying a franchise record also held by Cottrell and Ned Schauff.

At the plate, some familiar faces wrecked havoc on opposing pitchers. Star shortstop Dan Spain missed only one game and batted .355 and led the team with 23 stolen bases. Spain also took on a much larger role on the mound, tossing 57 innings while putting up a 2.84 ERA.

Chris Briggs had another monster season after breaking numerous team records in 2010. He paced the team with a .372 batting average and 30 RBIs. Fellow All-Star Cory Davidson (.354, 4 HR, 27 RBIs) came through with his best season, tying for the team lead in homers. Tim Carty, a consistent force every year for Key West, notched a .319 batting average with four homers and 19 RBIs. Jared Munson, who joined Briggs and Davidson at the All-Star game, batted .298 with 19 RBIs and 19 stolen bases.

These standouts allowed the Ramblers to state their case as one of the prominent teams in the league. Key West more than held its own against some of the other elite teams, going 7-1 against Farley and 4-1 against Cascade. Key West, Dubuque and Bellevue won all but one of the season's semi-pro tournaments.

While the Ramblers had their best season in the program's history, in-season losses to the pitching staff likely held the team back from winning even more tournaments. Cottrell, O'Connor and Andrew Redman all missed time due to injury or other reasons. Redman had dominated in 20.2 innings before shutting it down for the season.

Nonetheless, 2011 provided many memorable moments. Cottrell's walk-off smash in the Prairie League title ended the season in the most satisfying way possible. The Ramblers hope that momentum carries over in what promises to be a great 2012 season when Key West will aim to stay among the area's heavyweights.