PETERSBURG, Va. -- The Kutztown University baseball team was forced to play from behind in both of its games Saturday and ultimately came up a few runs short in each. The Golden Bears fell to UVA-Wise, 4-2, in their season opener, before suffering a 7-4 defeat to Virginia State.

UVA-WISE 4, KUTZTOWN 2
UVA-Wise scored three times in the bottom of the first and never looked back in a 4-2 victory over KU.

Cavaliers lead-off hitter Brett Yates singled and a Golden Bear miscue moved him into scoring position for David Thomas to bring him home with a sacrifice fly.

Three batters later, Matthew Branham provided a two-out, two-run single for a 3-0 UVA-Wise advantage.

UVA-Wise extended its lead to 4-0 in the fifth, before Kutztown got on the board in the top of the sixth.

Kutztown (0-1) drew within 4-2 in the top of the ninth when Bo Rottet (Tamaqua, Pa./Tamaqua) singled home Silvestro, but could get no closer despite having the tying run in scoring position.

Doug Conrad (West Chester, Pa./Downingtown West) returned to the mound for the first time since 2017 and went five innings in a losing effort. Conrad allowed four runs on four hits and struck out four.

Zach Peters (Lititz, Pa./Warwick) followed Conrad with three scoreless frames and also struck out four for the Maroon and Gold.

Landon Faulkner tossed four shutout innings for the Cavaliers while fanning three.

Mike Villa (Scranton, Pa./West Scranton) drew three walks and Ronny Silvestro (Voorhees, N.J./Eastern Regional) two. Collin Bishop (Laurel Springs, N.J./Highland Regional) and Nick Lafferty (Croydon, Pa./Archbishop Wood) each had a hit, but KU was limited to three in the game.

Yates was 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored for UVA-Wise, which finished with five hits.

VIRGINIA STATE 7, KUTZTOWN 4
Bo Rottet's (Tamaqua, Pa./Tamaqua) two-run double sparked a four-run rally for the Golden Bears in the bottom of the fifth, but Virginia State was able to maintain its lead and tack on two runs late to hold off Kutztown, 7-4, Saturday afternoon.

KU trailed 5-0, before Rottet drove in Mike Villa (Scranton, Pa./West Scranton) and Andy Blum (Pottstown, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) with his first double of the season. Tanner Miller (Elizabethville, Pa./Upper Dauphin) provided an RBI single and Rottet scored on an error as the Golden Bears trimmed the Trojans' lead to one.

The inning could have been even bigger for Kutztown, but VSU starter Jarren Norman induced an inning-ending double play.

Norman went six innings before turning the game over to his bullpen. Jason Martinez and Rashad Stewart locked down the Golden Bears with three scoreless innings. Stewart struck out the side in the ninth for the save.

Aaron Cleveland (Pillow, Pa./Upper Dauphin) started and went three innings for KU, giving up three runs on four hits. Brandon Staub (Philadelphia, Pa./Cinnaminson (N.J.)) struck out five in four innings and Michael Hunter (Mertztown, Pa./Brandywine Heights) blanked the Trojans in the eighth and ninth innings.

Even though Virginia State hosted the game, they served as the visiting team in the box score, hitting first.

Miller had KU's only multi-hit performance (2-for-4), while Rottet and Zach Moretski (Harleysville, Pa./La Salle College H.S.) each doubled.

Brian Goodwyn, Jahleel Sewer, Kevin Russell and Cecil Henderson had two hits apiece to lead VSU's 10-hit attack.

ON DECK
Kutztown continues round robin play against the same two teams Sunday afternoon. The Golden Bears face UVA-Wise at 1 p.m. and Virginia State at 4 p.m.