In Highland Prairie on Sunday, September 10th, the weather was a beautiful 78 Degrees with a cool breeze, a perfect day for baseball. The La Crescent Apple Jacks overtook the Highland Prairie Hayseeds in each of their 7-inning games of 1860s baseball.
Both teams played extraordinarily well and entertained the fans with great hitting and excellent sportsmanship. These games were fairly umpired by Bill "Mr. Playfair" Ohm.
In the first two innings of game one, the Apple Jacks were ahead 5-0; however, in the fourth inning the Hayseeds scored
one run only to be followed by four more in the fifth inning. By the end of the game, the Apple Jacks won 9-5, largely
assisted by Paul "Swiss" Geronime who scored an impressive 4 runs. Other players who scored included Steve "Whitey" Geronime,
Mike "Mickey" Jaquette, Kevin "Hurricane" Knerzer, and Jim "Red" Johnson. Gary "Big Weas" Pericak pitched
a perfect final inning with only three balls being thrown.
Tensions were tighter in the second game with a score of 5-4. With Captain Joel "Hefty" Affeldt pitching, Jim "Scoop" Schupbach
at first base, and Jason "Weasel" Pericak fielding left, the Apple Jacks were able to maintain their lead. An unassisted double play occured in the second inning by Whitey. Whitey also assisted Mickey with the game winning double play.
The Apple Jacks' next competition is September 16th at Eagle Field #1 in La Crescent against the Highland Prairie Hayseeds and the Rochester Roosters. Games will start at noon.
The Apple Jacks Baseball Club is a community outreach program of the La Crescent Area Historical Society and respectfully acknowledges its eminent corporate sponsor, Merchants Bank- La Crescent. Their website is available at http://sites.google.com/site/lacrescentapplejacks.
~Jackson Affeldt