The following article is courtesy of Mike Scherting, Sports Writer for the Billings Gazette (appeared on Sunday, August 1, 2004 at BillingsGazette.com). Photos by Bradley Key.

BILLINGS, MONT.--Mustangs third baseman Bradley Key entered Saturday's game with a 17-game hitting streak, and it's not new territory to him.

Key said that last year, while playing at the University of South Carolina Aiken, he had a 20-game hitting streak.

Still, he's not sure how a player goes about getting in a zone like the one he's been in for almost three weeks.

"Man, I really don't know," Key said after extending his streak to 17 Friday night with a double and a home run in a 7-2 win over the Helena Brewers at Cobb Field. "I can't tell you what it is. Maybe it's just a step up in concentration, a little more focus at bat. I've been able to work some good hitter's counts and then get a good pitch I can handle and drive it somewhere."

Key's 17-game streak is the longest active streak in the Pioneer League. Ogden's Blake DeWitt hit in 19 straight from June 23 to July 18, while Idaho Falls' Eddie Solis and Bradley Hayes have also hit in 17 straight.

During his run, Key, a 48th-round draft pick by the Reds hit season, is hitting .400 (32-for-80). Key has hit in 10 straight games at Cobb Field, going .455 (20-for-44) and .333 on the road (14-for-42) in nine straight games.

Lately, Key has ended the suspense on his streak early in games, often getting a hit in his first or second at-bat.

Key said the hitting streak hasn't led him to press during any of his at-bats.

"You know about it, but you don't necessarily think you've got to get a hit today just because you have a hitting streak," he said.

"I just go up every at-bat trying to get a pitch I can handle, and I guess in the last 15 games (actually 17) I've been able to make one find a hole somewhere."

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