Aug 4 vs rain

In spite of the steady rain and distant rumbles of thunder, the Apple Jacks and Roosters began play at 12 noon and completed five soaked-to-the-skin innings. Jim “Preacher” Cumming pitched for the Jacks, unable to keep the ball dry between tosses but still challenging the Rochester nine. Both teams' play was unsteady the first few innings. Spectators peered intently from the picnic area, barely able to hear the slap of the bats, given the droning of rain on the overhead canopy. By the fourth inning, the Roosters found their footing, while the Jacks placed men at third, but could not bring them home. The Roosters emerged the victors, 3-0. The rain abated in the second game, which saw the Baltics’ long hits take advantage of the slippery, wet grass. In the end, the Baltics overpowered the Roosters 6-1 and continued their dominance of Minnesota vintage base ball clubs.

As skies looked like they might clear, the fierce Baltics turnjed their attention to the Apple Jacks in the last game of the day. Unfazed, the Jacks took the lead, 4-1, in the third inning. Benjamin “George” Deetz (below), Erik “Stretch” Deetz, Raymond “Stache” Hanson, and Tom “Lucky” Geronimo tallied aces.

Sky ball catches by “George” and “Lucky” caught the attention of the spectators, as did steady pitching from Steve “Whitey” Geronime, forcing the Baltics to adjust their game. It only took another inning for the Mankato men to regain their focus, however, lashing back in the fifth inning with six aces. After six innings, the final score was Baltics over Jacks, 8-4.

While the rain was a boon to the area’s summer-long drought, it did not quench the Jacks’ winless season.

Undaunted, Captain Bill "Ho-hum" Ohm and the Jacks will pack up their bats and balls and travel to Creston, Illinois on Sunday, Aug. 19. There, they will face the Creston Regulators and the Springfield Long Nines for the final games of their ninth season.