HAMPTON, VA (February 20, 2011) – The Kutztown University baseball team dropped an 8-4 decision to Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania Sunday afternoon in the championship game of the 2011 Builder Invitational hosted by the Apprentice School.

Kutztown (5-3 overall) generated eight hits Sunday afternoon, five of which coming from the bottom half of the lineup. Sophomore Andrew Otterberg (Wall Township, N.J./Wall Township) was one of three players having a multi-hit game for KU. He went 2-for-4 and added an RBI.

James Quigley (Bensalem, PA/Bensalem) and Cody Montz (Schuylkill Haven, PA/Schuylkill Haven) also added a pair of hits apiece for Kutztown. Quigley finished the day 2-for-5 at the plate and Montz went 2-for-4. Montz came into Sunday's game leading the team with a whopping .733 average.

The key to Lock Haven's success in Sunday's championship game was its five run outburst in the second inning, getting it out to an early 5-0 lead. The Golden Bears refused to give up however, responding with a surge of their own in the bottom of the fourth. After an RBI single by Otterberg, fellow sophomore Brandon Shurr (Bernville, PA/Schuylkill Valley) brought the game within striking distance with a two RBI single to make the score 5-3.

Also performing at the plate for KU was Shayne Houck (Boyertown, PA/Boyertown) who had a hit, and Todd Rubendall (Collegeville, PA/Methacton) who added an RBI.

Tyler Persun (Mount Joy, PA/Donegal) started for KU in the championship game and went six innings, allowing five runs off five hits and striking out four batters.

Despite the difficult loss, KU leaves the tournament with plenty to be happy about.  The Golden Bears closed out this year's tournament with a 4-1 record, outscoring their opponents by a 66-32 margin.  It is also ranked fifth in Division II by PING Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and ninth by Collegiate Baseball.  KU is also the top team in the Atlantic Region preseason poll, voted on by the NCBWA.

Sunday's loss snapped a six-year championship winning streak for the Golden Bears at the Builder Invitational, as well as handing it their first loss in the annual tournament since 2008. In the first meeting between the two schools on Thursday, KU took down the Bald Eagles 22-1.

“This was a tough loss on our guys but we know it's still early in the season,” said head baseball coach Chris Blum. “We're still getting our feet wet and learning some things about our team. I'm happy with the way we played though and we'll continue to get ready for our spring break trip to Savannah.”

Lock Haven (4-1) was led by leadoff man Cody Young who went 2-4 while knocking in a pair of RBI's. Junior first basemen Robert Guild also had two hits. Earning the win for LHU was freshman righty Brandon Renoll who went 6.1 innings with two strikeouts. This is the first Builder Invitational championship the Bald Eagles have won in the tournament's 17-year history.

Kutztown returns to action on Saturday Mar 5 as it will begin its streak of games during spring break in Savannah, GA.