The Emory University baseball team struggled to drive in runs on Friday night in Montgomery, Alabama, opening its three-game series with Huntingdon College with a 5-1 loss to the Hawks.

Emory sophomore starter Connor Dillman suffered just the second loss of his career and his first in over a year, allowing all five earned runs on seven hits and three walks.  Dillman struck out four batters during the game, as the right-handed pitcher fell to 0-1 on the season with a 3.72 ERA.

The Eagles fell behind early, when Huntingdon catcher Joseph Odom hit a two-run home run with one out in the first inning.  Odom would drive in another run in the third on a groundout, and the Hawks' fourth run of the game with an RBI double in the sixth.  An RBI groundout from Tyler Blackwell in the sixth inning gave Huntingdon a 5-0 lead.

Emory got a run back in the eighth, loading the bases on a pair of walks and a hit-by-pitch, before Jared Welch picked up an RBI on another hit-by-pitch.  However, the Eagles left the bases loaded in the inning, as the Hawks escaped any further damage.

Junior Brandon Hannon picked up a pair of hits in four at bats and scored the only run of the game, in addition to stealing his team-best ninth bag of the season.  Emory's streak of consecutive stolen bases came to an end in the top of the fourth inning of the game, when Daniel Iturrey was caught stealing second base.  Prior to that, the Eagles had stolen safely in each of their last 30 attempts.

Junior Ryan Toscano and sophomore Jordan Selbach each went two-for-four on the day as well, and sophomore Michael Byman pitched a perfect eighth inning in relief of Dillman.

With the loss, Emory fell to 5-3 on the season, while Huntingdon raised its record to 7-4 with the victory.  The two teams will continue their weekend series at Chappell Park in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday, March 2^nd at 2:00 PM.