LEXINGTON, Va. - The Charleston Southern baseball team dropped their third Big South Conference game in a row Friday night, falling to No. 28 VMI, 13-3, at Gray-Minor Stadium. Three Keydets homered in the game, the first of a three-game weekend series.

Adam Lopez (4-0) scored the win for the Keydets after allowing just two runs in 6.2 innings. He struck out eight Buccaneers while walking just one. Anthony Markham (0-3) was handed the CSU loss after surrendering nine runs in seven innings of work.

The Buccaneers (9-14, 0-3 Big South) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the 2nd. Thanks to three singles in a row, Charleston Southern loaded the bases with no one out. The runs came thanks to a two-run single from Tom Burkett, but CSU was unable to add to the lead after Patrick Dolan was gunned down at the plate while trying to score on a ground ball and Jon Matthews struck out to end the inning with runners on the corners.

VMI (19-3, 3-1 Big South) tied the game up with two runs in the 3rd frame. Alex Haitsuka led off the inning with a home run. Later in the inning, Cory Spangenberg brought home a run with an RBI groundout.

The Keydets pulled away with five runs in the 5th inning. Sam Roberts and Tanner Biagini plated a marker each with RBI singles, while the big blow, a three-run homer, came off of the bat of Jordan Ballard. The senior's blast made the score 7-2.

Jacob Morley tacked on a run for VMI in the 6th inning, belting a two-out solo home run to make the score 8-2. Spangenberg scored the ninth VMI run thanks to a Markham wild pitch in the 7th inning.

CSU looked ready to rally when they put their first two runners on base in the 8th inning. But the Bucs mustered just one run in the frame, as Dolan brought a run to the plate with an RBI groundout.

The home nine got the run back and then some in the bottom of the 8th. Roberts smacked an RBI double off of Tyler Vick to make the score 10-3, then Spangenberg followed with a two-run triple to give the Keydets another pair of runs. Graham Sullivan capped the scoring with a single that brought Spangenberg to the plate.

Nick Chinners stretched his hitting streak to 18 games with a 2-for-4 day at the plate, while Burkett's two RBI give him 10 in his last five games. Matt Still, Walt Quattlebaum and Tyler Thornburg scored runs for the Buccaneers.

Roberts paced the Keydets with a 3-for-4 evening, while Spangenberg was 2-for-4 with three runs and three RBI. Morley also crossed home three times for VMI.

Game two of the weekend series begins Saturday at 2 p.m., with Thornburg scheduled to take the mound for the Buccaneers.