June 1, 2014

For Apple Jacks, hits abound, but runs scarce

Hits were aplenty, but runs elusive as the La Crescent Apple Jacks continued their defensive strength, but came up short at Festa Italia in Madison on Sunday. The Jacks lost 9-4 to the Creston IL Regulators and were edged 2-1 in 10 innings by the Roosters of Olmsted County. The lack of offensive presence was also characterized in a third game in which Creston defeated the Roosters 1-0.

The skies threatened at times, but rain and storms held off until evening. During the day, however, forceful winds punched at hitters and buffeted any balls hit to the lonesome outfield. In spite of an infield that turned into a whirlpool of sand, ball handling was brisk and largely without errors. Joel “Hefty” Affeldt and Gary “Big Weas” Pericak deftly pitched the first and second games, respectively, for the Jacks.

Outside of Creston’s 8-run fourth inning in the Jacks’ first game, all three teams fought to convert hits to runs. In the first game, the Jacks garnered 14 hits to Creston’s 13; the Jacks tallied 20 hits in the second game, while the Roosters managed only 13. Finding that his Roosters’ bats didn’t work well in Wisconsin, Corky “Goose” Gaskell good-humoredly said the club might order new ones.

As hitting became a cat and mouse game of its own, who better to use his offensive cunning for the Jacks than Dan “Skunk” Deetz. Skunk tallied 6 hits and 1 run for the day. Paul “Swiss” Geronime tallied 5 hits and 1 run, while Big Weas, Samuel “Slim” Deetz and Giotto “Mojo” Troia each tallied 4 hits, with Slim and Big Weas scoring 1 run each.

The Jacks’ captain, Bill ‘Ho hum’ Ohm, also noted the contributions of Bruce “Carrot Top” Hollar and Bill “Jimmy” Ohm, Jr., journeymen players for the Jacks. Prince Peter Petersilie umpired the games, and Lady Joan Ohm, the Jacks’ scorekeeper, counted $4.25 in fines.