Varsity, alums battle to 4-4 tie in annual reunion game
Alums pull out all the stops, but varsity responds to earn draw
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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.
![NEW CHALLENGE, NEW TEAM MEMBERS: Every season, VEX creates a new game that robotics team members are faced with and have to build a robot to compete in. This year’s game forces students to create a robot that is able to stack rings onto mobile goals in order to score points. The change in games each season is something that robotics teacher Audrea Moyers appreciates.
“One of the things that I like about VEX is that they have a new problem to solve every year,” she said. ¨Even though the equipment’s the same, they have to analyze the game, and they have to come up with solutions that are unique that year. They are using their knowledge from prior years, but they have to kind of redesign a problem.”
As returning teams were faced a new game, some new teams and members had to adapt to a uncommon playing field and game.
“Three of our four teams were competing for the first time this year, and they had very different experiences match to match, so I think they learned a lot,¨ she said. ¨It’s hard just watching a video online to know how it’s actually going to be in person, so they all learned a lot about what gameplay is like, how to work with an alliance partner [and] how to adapt during the day to changes.”](https://macshieldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_9283-1-600x400.jpg)
![WISHFUL WINDOW SHOPPING: Senior Mia Plemons observes the displays in the MAC during the 5x7 gallery night. Although not a member herself, Plemons feels a connection to the program through her friends and peers. “I have a lot of friends in art,” Plemons said. “And I’ve seen a lot of their work and it’s all really nice and beautiful, and I really enjoy seeing some of the nice pieces people have made.” Plemons didn’t manage to secure a piece of her own, but left impressed by all the ones she saw. “I didn’t [have a favorite], every piece of art I saw was just absolutely breathtaking,” Plemons said. “I think they should definitely do more things like this in the future. I think it’s definitely great for people in the art program to get their art out there and getting experience with making things that people buy.” Caption by Noah Braun. Photo by Lilah Lavigne.](https://macshieldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/54188247349_62510240f2_o-e1733894950394-600x488.jpg)
