The Emory University baseball team dropped its third consecutive one-run decision on Friday, falling to Virginia Wesleyan by a score of 7-6 in the first game of the Firehouse Classic at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama.

With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the ninth, the Marlins were able to scrap across the winning run as Trevor Sheets sprinted home on a wild pitch. The defeat is Emory's fourth of the season, with all coming by a one-run margin. With the win, Virginia Wesleyan improves to 2-1.

A back-and-forth game saw most of its action occur in the game's later innings. Trailing 1-0, the Eagles used the long ball to put a four-spot on the board in the fifth inning. Sophomore Zach Wasserlauf cranked a three-run shot before junior Matthew Sicoli launched a solo shot of his own in the next at bat.

Virginia Wesleyan answered quickly however, utilizing the home run to its advantage as well. In the home half of the fifth, Micah Fox blasted a two-run home run to bring the score to 4-3 Eagles. In the sixth, John Bastiaans provided a crushing blow as he smacked a two-run home run of his own to dead center on the final pitch starter Josh Zuckerman would throw.

The teams traded solo runs in the seventh and eighth and headed into the final frame with VWU in front 6-5. Junior Jack Halloran provided the first heroics as he delivered a double down the left field with two outs and the Eagles down to their final strike, bringing around senior Jacob Grossman with the game-tying run.

The Marlins though were able to work the bases loaded against sophomore Adam Geller in the bottom of the ninth, eventually scoring the game-winning run on a pitch in the dirt.

The Eagles look to snap their current three-game skid when the Firehouse Classic continues on Saturday when Emory plays Mississippi University for Women at 1:00 PM ET at Neal Posey Field.