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HAMPTON, Va. - The Bloomsburg University baseball team concluded its weekend at the Builder Invitational, hosted by the Newport News Apprentice School, with a 16-15 loss against Kutztown University on Sunday afternoon. The Huskies dropped to 5-4 overall on the year while the Golden Bears improved to 4-1 on the season.

Redshirt senior Ryuta Amaike (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall) continued to swing a hot bat as he went 4-for-5 with three runs scored, a home run, and three runs batted in. Junior Tyler Benson (Montville, N.J./Montville Township) also kept up his torrid start to the season as he was 3-for-5 with four runs scored, a home run, and three runs batted in. Redshirt junior Cy Treaster (Lewistown, Pa./Mifflin County) and freshmen Blake Gular (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton), Cole Swiger (Maple Glen, Pa./Upper Dublin), and Nate Krizan (Montoursville, Pa./Loyalsock) each had a pair of hits in the loss.

The Huskies jumped out quickly against Kutztown starter Josh Houser and took a 3-0 lead after an inning. Redshirt junior Austin Edgette (Exton, Pa./Downingtown East) led off the bottom of the first inning with a walk and promptly scored when Benson launched a two-run home run to left field - his second round-tripper of the season - to give the Huskies a 2-0 lead. Two batters later, Amaike went deep for the second straight day - a solo home run to left - to give the Huskies a 3-0 advantage.

Kutztown answered with a run in the top of the second against sophomore starter Ashton Raines (Wallingford, Pa./Strath Haven), but the Huskies responded with three more runs in the bottom half of the inning to take a 6-1 lead. Edgette drove in the first run with an RBI single that scored Treaster, who had led off the inning with an infield single. Benson followed with a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 5-1. Then, Saturday's hero, senior Damin Muth (Breinigsville, Pa./Parkland) singled to right center to plate Edgette for the Huskies' third run of the inning.

After a quiet third inning, things got crazy in the middle three frames. A total of 20 runs - 12 by Kutztown - were scored in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings and, when the dust settled, the Huskies had a slim 14-13 lead after six innings.

Kutztown scored three runs against Raines in the top of the fourth to cut the Bloomsburg lead to 6-4. But, the Huskies answered with four runs in the bottom of the fourth to extend the advantage to 10-4. Bloomsburg had run-scoring singles from Gular, Treaster, Krizan, and freshman Chad Cooperman (Allentown, Pa./Salisbury) during the four-run rally.

In the fifth, Kutztown rallied with three runs in the top half of the inning to trim the Huskies' lead to 10-7. But, Bloomsburg scored twice - on RBI singles from Amaike and Swiger - in the bottom half of the frame to maintain a five-run lead, 12-7, after five innings.

But, the Golden Bears exploded in the top of the sixth, as they plated six runs - two unearned - on five hits and two Bloomsburg errors to take a 13-12 lead. But, the Huskies scored twice again in the bottom of the sixth to regain a one-run lead at 14-13. Cooperman scored the first run of the inning when he crossed the plate on an error. Then, Muth plated the second run with an RBI groundout.

The teams were held scoreless in the seventh but, in the eighth, Kutztown tied the game at 14-14 on a run-scoring fielder's choice against Bloomsburg reliever, sophomore Jeremy Zezza (Exeter, Pa./Wyoming Area). But, the Huskies responded again with a run in the bottom half to take a 15-14 lead thanks to an RBI double from Amaike.

Redshirt freshman James Reardon IV (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) was brought in to try to close the game in the top of the ninth. But, a pair of walks and an error on a sacrifice bunt, tied the game at 15-15. Cooperman came on but allowed a run-scoring single to Ben Eppley to give the Golden Bears a 16-15 lead. The Huskies got a one-out walk to sophomore Ryan Shiffer (Toms River, N.J./Toms River South) in the bottom of the ninth but could not score.

Reardon IV suffered the loss as he fell to 1-1 on the season. He faced three batters in the ninth and allowed two unearned runs on two walks and an error. Ryan Clow got the win in relief for Kutztown as he allowed one unearned run on two his in three innings. He walked one and struck out five.

Bloomsburg will return to action on Saturday, March 4 when it plays against St. Thomas Aquinas in Thomasville, North Carolina. First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.