The Misericordia University baseball team opened its MAC Freedom series with DeSales with a 7-5 win in Center Valley, Friday.

Max Oliver allowed just four hits over 7.1 innings to earn the win and Luke Leventhall got the final five outs for the save.

Jack Regenye and Brooks Kanwisher had three hits each and Jared Hoffman had two hits and two RBI.

Brian Korchok and Josh Burger had two hits each.

The Cougars scored in each of the first three innings to take a 5-0 lead.

Regenye was hit by a pitch to open the game and came around to score on Brock Bollinger's double to left center.  Bollinger scored later in the inning to make it 2-0.

Gabe Bunn reached on an error in the second inning and scored on Regenye's single to left to give MU a 3-0 lead.

Kanwisher and Korchok singled to open the third inning and Hoffman doubled in a pair of runs with a double to left to make it 5-0.

Burger singled with one out in the sixth and moved to second on Regenye's single up the middle.  Burger went to third on Bollinger's fly out to right and scored on a double-steal.

Kanwisher singled to right to make it 7-2.

DeSales rallied for three runs in the eighth and Leventhall induced a comebacker to the mound to strand two base-runners in the bottom of the ninth to close out the game.

The series continues with a doubleheader, Saturday at noon at Tambur Field.