BOX SCORE BOX SCORE

RADFORD, Va. – Bryant got a homer and two RBIs from Kevin Brown and used three first-inning runs to jump on Radford, earning a 5-3 series-opening win on Friday.
 
Cory Turner was 2-for-3 for the Highlanders (6-8), and hit a two-run double with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning to draw Radford within a run at 3-2.  Josh Gardiner added a 2-for-4 effort.
 
Righty Peter Kelich (2-1) made the early lead stand up for Bryant (4-6), allowing just two earned runs on six hits over six innings.  Salvatore Lisanti had a pair of strikeouts in the ninth to earn his third save. 
 
“Our pitcher threw 40 more pitchers than their starter, which tells you that they really pushed for pitches and battled in counts,” head coach Joe Raccuia said.  “We need to start the game cleaner tomorrow, need to defend the game better, but today we had opportunities.”
 
Four other players had multi-hit days for the Bulldogs, who tallied 11 hits.
 
Bryant jumped on the board in the first inning on Brown's triple to the right field corner, scoring Dan Muscatello after his leadoff single.  Mike Delponte knocked in Brown two batters later, then an error on Adam Claire's infield single with two outs scored Delponte to give the Bulldogs a 3-0 advantage.
 
The Highlanders got one of those runs back in the second, when an error on a pop fly at second with two outs scored Ryan Burgess, who singled with two down to keep the inning going.
 
Carl Anderson's sacrifice fly in the sixth gave Bryant a 4-1 lead before Turner's two-out hit in the home half drew the Radford deficit to a run.
 
Brown hit a two-out solo homer (2) to give Bryant insurance in the top of the ninth inning.
 
Eddie Butler (1-1) struck out seven batters in 5 1/3 innings in the loss, allowing three earned runs.
 
Game two of the series is Saturday at 4 p.m.