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The oldest player and the youngest player to play in Saturday’s Alumni game both were key players in the annual “rivalry” game that’s more about entertainment and fellowship than it is about victory, which is a good thing since this year’s game ended in a 4-4 tie.

With the alums trailing 2-1 in the top of the third inning and freshman catcher Charlie Joe Owen anticipating a possible play at the plate, Craig Russell, Class of 1974, legged out an infield single to plate Everett Williams, who had tripled earlier in the inning.

Russell might be considered the patriarch of Mac baseball. He played baseball for the Knights in the ’70s and had three sons, among them Phillip who also played in today’s game, go on to have distinguished Mac baseball careers.

Williams, the former 2009 second-round draft pick of the San Diego Padres who played six seasons of Minor League baseball, was the designated ringer on Saturday for the alums for the alumni. After tripling and scoring in the third inning, Williams came to bat again just four batters later after the alums had loaded the bases.

In his second at-bat in the inning, he drew a bases-loaded walk from pitcher Eric Worden to drive in Russell to make the score 4-2, alumni. As he shrugged in mock frustration on his trot to first base, Williams joked that by walking him, Worden had chosen the best option available to him.

It seemed to many observers that Williams magically appeared in the batter’s box for the alums whenever any of them advanced into scoring position.

The aforementioned Owen meanwhile ended up saving the day for the varsity a couple of times. He was at the tagging end of thwarted double steal attempt that kept the alums from scoring an insurance run, and then in the bottom of the fifth, he followed Davis Roe’s two-out RBI double with an RBI single of his own to tie the score at 4, which is how the game ended.

The baseball gets serious for the varsity starting Thursday when the team heads to the Texas Hill Country for the team’s annual season-opening appearance in the Fredericksburg High School tournament.