Ramblers reign in Dyersville

For the second time in five years, Key West has captured the Dyersville Tournament championship. Nick Woltkamp secured tournament MVP honors by earning the win on the mound as part of Saturday's 9-4 victory over host Dyersville in the championship game. With the win, Woltkamp equaled his own team single-season record for wins in a season.

The Ramblers (37-5) have won three tournaments this season and have placed third in two others. They own a record of 19-4 in bracket play.

Dyersville Tournament Results
1st Rd vs. Cascade - W, 5-4
Quarterfinals vs. Rickardsville - W, 15-5
Semifinals vs. Bernard - W, 4-2
Championship vs. Dyersville - W, 9-4

2016 Tournament Placements
1st - Bellevue
1st - Farley
1st - Dyersville
3rd - Cascade
3rd - Rickardsville

Ramblers run record to staggering 35-5

The Ramblers are back on a roll, winning six-straight games since a loss in the semifinals of the Rickardsville Tournament. Key West continues to go deep into bracket play having advanced to the semis of the Dyersville Tournament following a 15-5 drubbing of Rickardsville in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. The Ramblers are now 35-5 overall and have clinched their fifth tournament placement of the 2016 season.

Brett LaMere enjoyed a monster day in the rout of Rickardsville. He went 3-for-4 with a double, triple and five RBIs out of the No. 7 spot in the lineup. He highlighted a 14-hit attack for the Ramblers, who used three different pitchers to navigate the seven-inning affair.

Key West reached the quarterfinals by first squeaking by Cascade, 5-4, in the first round on Sunday (July 31). Nick Woltkamp fired a seven-inning complete game while striking out eight. Ryan Siems went 3-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Siems is now hitting .421 with a team-high tying four home runs and a Rambler best 33 RBIs. Siems and LaMere connected for back-to-back home runs to pull off a come-from-behind win as part of a doubleheader sweep at Monticello on Monday.

Trey Ertmer also played a starring role in the twin bill at Monticello. He put out a sixth-inning fire by getting a strikeout and a double play to end a bases-loaded threat and preserve a one-run victory. Ertmer then tossed a six-inning, one-hit shutout in game 2. Ertmer struck out nine Monticello hitters in the process of picking up his second win as a Rambler.

Thursday's scheduled league game at Farley was postponed due to rain. Key West will resume action at the Dyersville Tournament on Friday when it battles Bernard. First pitch is slated for 7:30 p.m.

Ramblers finish third at Rickardsville Tourney

Due to postponements, Key West ended up playing all four of its Rickardsville Tournament games in span of four days (July 22-25). The Ramblers ultimately finished third amongst the field of 19 teams at Rickardsville, marking Key West's fourth tournament placement of 2016. In Monday's consolation game, the Ramblers toppled Bernard, 4-1, behind a complete game outing from Dan Spain in his first start on the mound this season.

Prior to Monday, Nick Woltkamp started each of Key West's first three games in Rickardsville. He pitched a gem in the quarterfinals, surrendering just a single hit over seven innings in a 3-2 win over Peosta. He also earned the win in a 10-6 decision over Dubuque in the first round. That victory avenged a semifinal loss to Dubuque in the Cascade Tournament.

Chris Briggs homered in the win over Dubuque. Woltkamp did the same in the 7-5 defeat at the hands of Bellevue in the semifinals. Woltkamp fired 11 innings on Sunday before giving way to the Key West bullpen, which, along with a sloppy defense, failed to hold the lead versus Bellevue. Woltkamp also went 5-for-12 at the plate during the four-game tournament run.

The Ramblers (30-5) are now 15-4 in tournament action this season. They own tourney titles at Bellevue and at Farley.

Forever a Rambler: Kenny Capesius

When Key West returned to the semi-pro baseball circuit in 2004, Kenny Capesius was there. Then just a youngster, Capesius regularly attended Rambler games, serving as a bat boy and chaser of foul balls. It seemed it was his destiny to some day become a Rambler himself.

His hopes of wearing Key West royal blue became reality in 2007 when Capesius appeared in his first game for the Ramblers. Little did anyone know, it was just a start for the La Motte, Iowa, native, who went on to play baseball at Dubuque Senior High School before becoming a fixture out of the bullpen for NCAA Division III Cornell College in Mount Vernon.

"Kenny Cat," as some teammates refer to him as, may never play again for the Ramblers after manning left field in the 8-3 win over Bernard at the Cascade Tournament on Saturday. The next day Capesius packed up and embarked on a new journey, one that will take him to Washington, D.C., where he will work as a paralegal at a law firm. It will be a precursor to law school for the bright-minded Capesius.

An avid Cubs fan, Capesius displayed an unwavering passion for the game of baseball and a positive attitude matched by few. His talents go beyond the baseball diamond. At Cornell Capesius busied himself as class president of the student senate and as a member of mock trial. He was academic all-conference every season while throwing a total of 38.1 innings for the Rams.

With a career record of 18-3 with Key West, Capesius possesses the best winning percentage of any pitcher in Rambler history. This season Capesius allowed just a single earned run over his first 31 innings while putting together an all-star worthy season as a right-handed sidewinder. Capesius has gone 6-1 with a 1.32 ERA in 2016.

The Key West Ramblers wish Kenny the best of luck in Washington, D.C.

Ramblers take third place at Cascade

Bouncing back from a rough semifinal loss to Dubuque, Key West salvaged a third-place finish with an 8-3 victory over Bernard on Saturday evening in the consolation game at the Cascade Tournament. The Ramblers (26-4) jumped out to an 8-0 lead by taking advantage of sloppy defensive play by Bernard while riding the dependable right arm of Nick Woltkamp.

Woltkamp, now 8-1 as a pitcher, also came through with the bat, delivering a two-run double that increased Key West's lead to 5-0 in the fifth inning of Saturday's contest. Chris Briggs had broken a 0-0 draw in the fourth with an RBI single. Ryan Siems also supplied a run-scoring base hit in the fifth. Three unearned runs came across in the sixth thanks to three-straight infield errors committed by Bernard in the sixth.

Making his ninth start on the mound, Woltkamp held Bernard scoreless until the sixth inning. The righty workhorse worked all seven innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks while striking out four. Woltkamp owns a 2.15 ERA over 62.2 innings this season.

Brett LaMere (2-for-4) and Ben Oglesby (2-for-3, two runs) both collected two hits apiece. Playing his final game for the foreseeable future as a Rambler, Kenny Capesius drove in a run with a fielder's choice in the fourth.

Key West will get another shot at the Dubuque Budweisers, the Cascade Tournament runner up, on Tuesday (July 19) when it begins play at the Rickardsville Tournament. First pitch is scheduled for 8 p.m.

LaMere homers, drives in four to power win at Worthington

Brett LaMere broke open a tight game in the top of the ninth with a three-run homer that helped lift Key West to its 24th victory over its past 25 games. LaMere drove in four runs on Thursday evening as the Ramblers topped host Worthington, 7-3, in an EIHL contest. Key West (25-3) is now 9-1 in EIHL action.

Worthington had cut into a 3-0 Rambler lead in the bottom of the seventh when back-to-back walks to begin the frame led to a pair of runs. Key West then opened up a five-run lead after Nick Woltkamp singled in a run and LaMere followed with his three-run blast to left. LaMere also knocked in a run with a fielder's choice in the top of the first.

The Ramblers notched a total of 13 hits and frequently missed out on opportunities to pad what became a tenuous advantage. Andrew Redman (3-for-3, two walks), Woltkamp (2-for-4), Anthony Razo (2-for-5) and Anthony Ruden (2-for-5) each recorded at least two hits. Redman (.431 average in 2016) also scored twice on a night when he reached base in all five plate appearances.

On the mound, Art Martinez picked up his second win of the season. He went six innings, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks. He was lifted after walking the first two hitters in the seventh. Austin Bradley then got the final nine outs of the game and earned his fourth save of the year, breaking a team record for saves in a single season.

The Ramblers will return to Cascade on Friday (July 15) for the semifinals of the Cascade Tournament. Key West must defeat the Dubuque Budweisers to advance to Saturday's championship. Friday's first pitch is slated for 8:30 p.m.

Ramblers collect 12 hits, advance to Cascade semifinals

Behind starting hurler Nick Woltkamp, Key West raced out to a 5-0 lead and held on for a 6-3 victory in Wednesday night's second round action at the Cascade Tournament. By way of eliminating Peosta, the Ramblers (24-3) have advanced to the semifinals of the Cascade Tournament for the first time in team history as they continue to seek their first-ever title in the town of Cascade.

Behind a run-scoring double by Brett LaMere and a two-run double by Anthony Razo, Key West vaulted itself to a 3-0 lead in the top of the second. The Ramblers got two more off Ryan Kelly in the top of the second courtesy of a passed ball and Chad Crabill RBI single. Key West's final run came in the fourth when Andrew Redman doubled in Dan Spain.

Woltkamp and reliever Trey Ertmer effectively scattered nine hits, three walks and two hit batters over the seven-inning contest. Woltkamp (7-1) routinely wiggled out of jams during his five innings of work. He allowed six hits and two walks but surrendered just a single run while striking out four.

Chris Briggs, Razo and Anthony Ruden each went 2-for-4 for the Ramblers. Nine different Key West hitters registered at least one hit on the evening.

The Ramblers are back in action tonight (July 14) with an EIHL game at Worthington  (7 p.m.). They resume action from the Cascade Tournament on Friday when they take on the Dubuque Budweisers at 8:30 p.m. in the semifinals. Key West has won 23 of its last 24 games.