The Longhorns rang in the 2013 season with a 5-5 tie in the annual Alumni Game on Saturday.

A number of former Texas stars such as Brandon Belt and Drew Stubbs attended the game, which went right down to the wire. Entering the bottom of the ninth trailing 5-4, the current Longhorns were able to tie the game on a pair of throwing errors to start the inning. The game eventually ended in a tie after the 2013 squad failed to score again, but nevertheless the players believed that it was a fun event for the fans and those involved.

“Every year for us coming back it’s a lot of fun just to be around some guys we haven’t seen in a while and kind of mix it up with the current team,” Cleveland Indians outfielder Stubbs said. “Getting back in the field and getting in the flow of the game for the first time in a couple of months is nice. I try to use it to prepare for spring training a little bit.”

The Exes scored the game’s first run in the top of the second inning on a Kevin Keyes sacrifice fly that drove home current San Francisco Giant Belt. They opened up their lead to 5-0 by putting up four runs in the top of the third, with the big hit being a two-run double off of the right field wall by Kyle Russell.

The 2013 Longhorns answered with three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to get within two. Weston Hall and Madison Carter each contributed RBI singles in the frame, while Mark Payton added a sacrifice fly. Texas added a fourth run in the bottom of the sixth inning after Ben Johnson tripled and scored on a fielder’s choice before knotting the game at 5-5 three innings later.

Texas will begin its regular season Feb. 15, when they host Sacramento State at 6:30 p.m.

Published on February 4, 2013 as "Longhorns fight back to tie Exes in annual Alumni Game".