The LeTourneau University baseball team dropped a 5-4 decision to Arlington Baptist on a chilly  Friday night in Longivew to open the 2016 season.

The YellowJackets (0-1) were led by senior Taylor Empkey, who went 3-for-5 with a run scored and a RBI. Fellow senior Jordan Carns was the opening day starter and the losing pitcher after a five-inning and seven-strikeout stint.

The Patriots (1-0) scored two runs each in the first and the fifth inning and a crucial insurance run in the seventh for the win. Five of the seven hits for Arlington Baptist came in the top five of the lineup, including a pair from shortstop Tyler Brown, who went 2-for-4 with three runs scored.

A two-RBI single with the bases loaded in the first inning by Ryan Sloma quickly put the visitors ahead of the YellowJackets. Then, they added to their lead with back-to-back RBI singles in the fifth by Cameron Guzman and Trevor Currington stretched the lead to 4-0.

LETU got its first run of the season when Empkey drove in fellow senior Sean Sellers, who earlier in the inning had reached on a single and stole second in the sixth. Then, they cut the deficit to two, 4-2 on a sacrifice fly by Jacob Simmons that scored Empkey after an Arlington Baptist error.

The Patriots scored what proved to be the game-winning run when they took advantage of a LETU error in the seventh for a 5-2 lead. LeTourneau made it a one-run game in its half of the seventh when they took advantage of more miscues by Arlington Baptist. Both runs came across to score on a Sellers' fielder's choice.

LeTourneau stranded a runner in the eighth and two more in the ninth in an attempt to tie the game.

The two teams will wrap up the weekend series on Saturday with a doubleheader at noon at Conrad-Vernon Field.