LEXINGTON, Va.- The efforts of several freshmen helped VMI defeat Presbyterian College, 10-7, in the series opener between the teams Thursday evening at Gray-Minor Stadium.  The win keeps the Keydets (32-18, 13-12 Big South) in control of their own destiny for the fourth seed in next week's Big South Championship, while the Blue Hose (13-39, 5-20 Big South) dropped their fourth straight series opener.

Freshman John Garrett (5-1) earned the win by allowing just one base runner in five innings, striking out four.  He was aided by classmate Rob Dickinson, who went 4 for 4 with three RBIs, including the go-ahead knock for the second game in a row.  Andrew Montague collected his first collegiate home run to lead off the eighth, while fellow frosh Cory Spangenberg went 2 for 4 with three runs scored, setting new VMI records for runs (60) and hits (81) in a season.

"It's been a long time since we won an opener," said VMI head coach Marlin Ikenberry.  "I was really proud of the way we came out in the first inning and put up a three-spot.  I thought Adam Lopez, coming out one day short of his normal rotation, didn't have his command like he normally does.  I was really proud of the our bullpen, Johnny Garrett did a great job tonight.  Good things happened tonight, Cory Spangenberg broke the hits record and Andrew Montague hit his first career home run in a pinch-hit opportunity.  All around, it was a great team effort and I was really excited about the way we played tonight."

Blue Hose starter Chris Powell (5-5) lasted seven-plus innings, allowing 10 runs, nine earned, on 13 hits.  Gabe Grammer, Matt Hill and Jesse Harmon each had a pair of knocks for the visitors, with Grammer and Hill each collecting their 10th double of the season.

VMI jumped on top 3-0 in the first inning, thanks to a pair of sacrifice flies and an RBI single from Dickinson.  The Blue Hose answered back in the second, sending eight men to the plate and scoring three runs on four hits, including run-scoring singles by Jesse Harmon, Mack Hite and Grammer.

The Keydets countered with two in the third, when Dickinson delivered an RBI double, followed by Alex Haitsuka's second sac fly.  Keydet starter Adam Lopez, however, could not escape the fourth inning, as three more runs came across, including a two-run single by Tony Micklon to put the visitors up 6-5.

PC plated an unearned run in the fifth inning, going up 7-5 when Jeff Tatum scored on an infield throwing error.  VMI knotted the contest back at seven in the sixth, when Sam Roberts plated Chase Worthington with a groundout, before Ombri Rivers trotted home on a passed ball.

Garrett surrendered his lone hit in the seventh, when Harmon reached on an infield single but was left stranded at third base.  The Keydets snatched the lead back in the home-half of the seventh, as Dickinson's left-field single plated Spangenberg.  Worthington followed to plate Dickinson with a knock through the right-side, before Montague's home run capped the scoring in the eighth.

The teams play game two of the series Friday afternoon, with first pitch set for 4 p.m.

Keydet Quick Hits

• The series-opening win was VMI's first since defeating Gardner-Webb, 7-5, on April 9.
• Sam Roberts became just the second player in VMI history with 50 runs scored and 50 RBIs in a season, joining Robert Crumpler, who did so in 2007.