LEXINGTON, Va. (Interstat) — Bradley Garner hit a go-ahead, four-run homer in the sixth inning and the Virginia Military Institute Keydets rallied from a seven-run deficit to beat the Western Illinois Leathernecks 8-7 in the first game of a doubleheader Friday at Gray–Minor Stadium.

Western Illinois scored all seven of its runs in the second inning, but VMI chipped away. Garner’s blast tied it before Grayson Fitzwater won it with a solo shot in the eighth. Garner finished 3 for 5 with five RBIs.

Peyton Dhein earned the win for VMI, allowing one earned run over five innings. Joe Connolly homered for Western Illinois. The Keydets improved to 12-2, while the Leathernecks fell to 3-9.