VALDOSTA, Ga. - Despite a 12-6 advantage in hits, the Embry-Riddle baseball team dropped the opener of a four-game road swing on Thursday night, falling to Valdosta State, 9-8. The Eagles (3-4) climbed out of a 3-0 hole after the first inning to take a 5-3 lead in the sixth before VSU (7-2) rallied for five runs in the seventh and managed to hold off a late Eagle charge for the one-run victory.

The Eagles committed five errors on the night, four of them coming in the crucial seventh inning as just five of VSU's nine runs came across home plate as earned. Troy Naab shook off a rocky start to pitch 6.1 strong innings before a quartet of relievers finished the game for the Blue and Gold.

The Blazers struck for three runs in the home-half of the opening inning, and the Eagles were held in check offensively by VSU starter Hunter James until the fifth when Justin Franklin started a rally with a leadoff single, moving to third on Jake Durant's batted ball in the next at-bat which resulted in an error. Cole Habig brought in the run with a ground ball, but another VSU error allowed him to reach safely at first. Robbie Hanlon tallied the second RBI of the inning with a ground out, cutting the Eagle deficit to 3-2.

After a 1-2-3 fifth from Naab, the Eagles grabbed the lead in the sixth thanks to four hits, including a pair of doubles from Luis Olivier and Christopher Medina. Olivier's double plated Zach Howard after he singled to start the frame, and after Medina traded places with Olivier, Franklin scored him on a single back up the middle for a 5-3 Eagle cushion.

Naab stranded a pair of Blazers in the sixth, but was forced into trouble in the seventh after a catcher's interference and a would-be double play ball resulted in just one out. An error in the next at-bat put runners on second and third before a single to right tied the game and chases Naab from the contest. Vincent Rosace got the second out of the inning with a strikeout, but after a walk, Rosace was replaced by Tim Retamoza. A bases-loaded walk pushed across the go-ahead run for the Blazers, and a dropped fly ball in shallow right allowed two more runs to score as VSU took an 8-5 lead.

The Eagles answered back with two runs in the eighth when Medina tripled and later scored on a Franklin single before he moved around the bases via a stolen base, passed ball and Kyle Guttveg RBI single.

VSU added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth, but again the Eagles made it interesting in the ninth as Jonathan Camp doubled, followed by a Howard single and a Medina sacrifice fly. But the Eagles couldn't manage to extend the game further, falling by the 9-8 final.

Franklin collected three hits and two RBIs in the loss, while Howard, Olivier and Medina each had a pair of hits for the Blue and Gold.

ERAU goes to Georgia College on Friday for a three-game set. First pitch on Friday is slated for 6 p.m.