Friendships and reunions are the reason sports teams host alumni exhibitions, and that was the case Friday night as the Jefferson City Renegades took on the Jefferson City Legends, a group of Mid-Missouri ballplayers who had suited up for the Renegades in the past or just wanted to come out and have some fun on the diamond.
There was plenty of offense and some friendly chatter back and forth as the Renegades prevailed 12-11 in eight innings at Vivion Field.
There was even a friendly family rivalry as Jacob and Drew Voss suited up in opposite colors - Jacob for the Legends in gold and Drew for the Renegades in white.
"I actually said I wasn't going to pitch," Jacob Voss said, and then I got conned into playing, so I was like, 'Alright, I'll go out there and do whatever."
With a few days to prepare, Jacob Voss started on the mound for the Legends. The former pitcher for Linn, Creighton University and in the Los Angeles Angels organization went three innings, striking out six while giving up a few unearned runs in the second inning.
"I felt alright, was kinda tired at first, I had to take some rest between innings to get back in the swing of things," he said.
The highlight of the game, though, came in the top of the fifth inning. After Drew Voss came on in relief and got the first two batters of the inning on a strikeout looking and a 1-3 groundout, Jacob put on a helmet and picked up a bat, pinch-hitting for Blake McPheeters against his younger brother.
Jacob Voss said he hadn't picked up a bat to swing since his high school days, but as he stepped in, he stared down Drew and gave the Babe Ruth point out to center field.
"I was trying to get in (Drew's) head," Jacob said. "I was trying to get into his head, and hopefully he'd groove me a fastball, but no. I swung at a bad pitch, and then the one right down the middle, I just didn't swing at for some reason."
Jacob drew a full count, Drew sat his older brother down looking to end the fifth.
Jacob also came out and played first base for a half inning, something he said teammate Kevin Hagner and coach Rusty Creed talked him into doing.
The Renegades led 7-4 after five innings, but that top of the fifth pitched by Drew Voss would be the last 1-2-3 inning for either team. The Legends scored once in the sixth and plated five runs in the seventh to take a 10-7 lead, but the Renegades came right back and scored five in the bottom half of the seventh for a 12-10 lead. The Legends scored once in the eighth before the game was ended early.
Hagner hit a 2-run double in that seventh inning, and Tyler Bracht, Jady Reese, Mason Price and Kamron Morris also drove in runs for the Legends.
Josef Keilholz hit a 3-run triple in the bottom of the seventh to give the Renegades the lead back, and David Dell also drove in three runs for the home team.
Jefferson City plays on the road at 7 p.m. today at St. Joseph and returns home Sunday to host Sedalia.