Box Score Radford, Va.- Mercyhurst kicked off their final road series before their home opener with a 12-5 loss to Radford on Friday. Senior Aiden Kelly took his first loss of the season as Mercyhurst dropped to 1-7 through their first eight games.
 
How it Happened:
James Ward got Radford on the board after he took Kelly deep in the bottom of the first inning to give Radford a 2-0 lead. But Mercyhurst had an answer in the top of the second. Jack Malec grabbed the Lakers first hit of the day as he hit a double to right field. One batter later, Landon DiBeradin drove in Jayden Walker who walked on four straight balls to start the inning. Chandler Powell earned his third and fourth RBIs of the season after he drove in both Malec and DiBeradin with a single to give Mercyhurst their first lead of the day. Eric Chorba finished the scoring in the inning after he drove in Powell on a fielder's choice.
 
But Kelly's rough day continued in the bottom half of the second. Radford loaded the bases to start the inning, and they took advantage of the situation. Hunter Keen drove in run as he grounded out on 4-3 play before Breckin Nace retook the lead with a single to right field. In the third, Mercyhurst was able to load the bases, but they couldn't muster a run out of it as Radford preserved their 5-4 lead into the fourth. The Highlanders continued to feast offensively in the fourth inning. Back-to-back triples drove in a pair of runs and Keen tacked on another with an F8 sacrifice fly. Radford added to that lead in sixth after another three runs made the game an 11-4 contest. Chorba continued his hot start to the year in the seventh though as hit his second homer of the year. But a ground-rule double to center field from Jhonkeanu Perez bumped the score to 12-5. That score stood to be the final as the Highlanders claimed their third win of the season.
 
Next Game:
The Lakers will be back on the field tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. for game two of the series. They'll close out the weekend on Sunday with a noon game.