BOX SCORE

LEXINGTON, Va. – Alex Haitsuka hit a three run first inning homer and VMI held off a pair of Radford rallies to win 7-5 in the finale of the Big South baseball series on Sunday afternoon.

The win for VMI (30-16, 11-10 Big South) snaps an 11-game losing streak – the streak dated back to the Keydets' win over top-ranked Virginia on April 21.

Haitsuka's homer, his seventh, was part of a 2-for-3 game and capped a four-run first inning for the Keydets.   Along with an RBI single by Jordan Ballard, VMI grabbed an early lead that it never gave up.

The Highlanders (23-20, 10-8), who had a four-game winning streak stopped, got three runs in the fourth and two in the seventh to climb back into the game.   Radford's three-run fourth was fueled by Alex Guerra's (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh) two-run double, and the seventh was highlighted by Reggie Keen's (Danville, Va./G.W-Danville) two-run homer, his fifth, but it wasn't enough for the Highlanders.  

“We battled back, defended well and pitched well after a rough start,” head coach Joe Raccuia said.  “Our bullpen only gave up the two earned the rest of the way.  We definitely had a chance in this one.

Keen and Matt Hillsinger had two hits each for Radford, which despite the loss has won three Big South sets in a row, all on the road.

“We're not satisfied with wining just two of three, but we have had three good weeks of baseball on the road, with two midweek games per week recently,” Raccuia said.  “This is a pretty good place that we're at.”

Sam Roberts made the early VMI lead hold up on the way to his sixth win (6-3).  Roberts fanned nine hitters, a career high, over 6 2/3 innings while allowing five runs on seven hits.  

“Roberts threw well, and gave us fits early on the game,” Raccuia said.  “We didn't take a good enough approach at the plate early on, and he kept making good pitches.   That seems to be a common theme for us – we need to put more balls in play.

Chris Duty, who worked the final 2 1/3 innings of scoreless baseball, struck out three on the way to his first save of the season.

Haitsuka and Ombri Rivers had two hits each, as the Keydets got 10 hits from eight of their starting nine.

Bobby Bolling lasted just 2 1/3 innings in his start for Radford, taking the loss (2-2).  Brad Wimmer and Abram Williams combined to allow just two runs the rest of the way.

After the Highlanders made it a 5-3 lead for the Keydets with three in the fourth, VMI answered with two more in the fifth on Chase Worthington's RBI single and Rob Dickinson's sacrifice fly.   Radford got two more in the seventh, but got no closer.

Radford plays its first home series in four weekends when the Highlanders host Presbyterian in Big South action next weekend (May 7-9), beginning on Friday.