Wildcat Lanes 1

"Wildcat Lanes 1" was first formed in 1992, The team was first

 called Town Pub up until the team got a new sponsor, Verona Bowl.  In

 1992 the bowling alley and team's name both changed to "Wildcat

 Lanes".  Mike Riley was one of the first players to join the team when

 they were formed. He is not playing now but he is their manager. Over

 the years the team has only been playing in the Verona league, going to

 two main tornaments a year. They are the "Barneveld Luau" in

 Barneveld, Wisconsin, and they also go to Mt. Vernon, Wisconsin. One

 of the greatest pitchers "The Cat" has ever had was David Yaeger. He

 could consistently cause players to pop the ball up, with his curves and

 sliders he could also strike people out consistently.  Randy Gehrke has

 also been with the team as a common face in Leftfield for over 20 years.

 The team has won Barneveld at least twice in all of the years they've

 been playing, the same results in Mt. Vernon. Another Longtime player

 has been David Yaeger's son, Eric Yaeger, he has been playing 2nd

 Base and the "Hot Corner" for the team since 1989. In the 2006 season

 the team had a very good, young team. With Pat Cushman on the mound,

 and his brother Joe at the plate. It looks like a very promising infield

 with Mark, Tori, Ross, and Eric and "Flip", Randy, Mitch and Nate in the

 outfield.  But the real Rookie Standout was Augi Gehrke who joined us

 in mid-season to play Catcher and Right Field.  They finished the

 Barneveld tournament in a controversial 4th after losing to a team that

played with an illegal bat throughout the tournament.  In the 2007

Season The Cat Started strong with a 13-1 win over The White Rock in

 League Play.  But things went downhill from there and they went on a

 losing streak but went undefeated in the second half of the season

 scraping just enough wins to be in a playoff scenario.  In the last week

 of the regular season they had a double header vs. Glacier Consultants

 and Wildcat Lanes II if they won both they would be in the playoffs... and

They  did just that! They lost in the first round of the playoffs against

Monte's Pub but still, it was the first time they had made the playoffs

 since the league switched to that system.  In tournament play they went

2 and out of Barneveld losing against Steven's Construction and Glacier

Consultants.  And they went 1 and out in Mt. Vernon against Riley Tavern

(that tournament was switched to single elimination that year because

 of the rain).  In 2008, for the first time in over 30 years, Wildcat Lanes

didn't  have a league team.  This left the team in what seemed like

permanent disarray.  Enter: Eric Yaeger.  Determined to keep The Cat

alive, Yaeger was able to pull a group together for both the Barneveld

and Mt. Vernon tournaments.  While the team was out a few familiar

faces, (including long-time veteran Randy Gehrke who left for Riley

Tavern, and Pitcher Pat Cushman, Riley Storm).  Some old stars came

back, including Dave Yaeger, Jr., Mark Johnson, Mitch, and Yaeger. 

While new stars emerged in the form of Steve Reiber and Justin.  The

team is hopeful for the 2009 season, yet the future remains uncertain.