MURFREESBORO, N.C. – Kutztown baseball had a three-run top of the sixth inning to overcome a one-run deficit and then had the go-ahead run on first base in the ninth after trailing by four to start the frame, but could not make it all the way back, dropping its final non-conference game in North Carolina, 9-7 at Chowan Wednesday afternoon.
 
The Golden Bears (6-12 overall) also played at Barton in Wilson, N.C., on Tuesday and will return home for their conference opener Friday.
 
N.C., native, Drew Wheeler (Waxhaw, N.C./Marvin Ridge), recorded his first collegiate hit and led the Maroon and Gold lineup with three hits, going 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Bo Barthol (Breinigsville, Pa./Parkland) finished with two hits, a run scored and RBI, and Michael Burns (Levittown, Pa./Harry S. Truman) tallied a hit and three RBIs, his three-run double came in the sixth inning when Kutztown erased a 3-2 deficit and turned it into a 5-3 advantage.
 
The Hawks (4-16), however, quickly took back momentum with a four-run bottom-half of the inning to go up 7-5 and never trailed the rest of the way. They scored two more runs in the seventh for what proved to be needed cushion.
 
Nick Varda (Columbia, Md./Atholton) led off the top of the ninth with a walk and that was followed by a hit by pitch to Burns and a Jimmy Kerley (Indian Trail, N.C./Sun Valley) walk to load the bases with nobody out. Following a fly out for the first Chowan out, Jared Ferguson (Reinholds, Pa./Cocalico) earned a sacrifice fly that brought around Varda. Cam Burr (Reading, Pa./Muhlenberg) then walked to once again load the bases before Wheeler picked up an RBI by getting hit by a pitch. With the bags still full and two outs, the Hawks got their final out the next batter to walk off their field winners.
 
The two teams both finished with eight hits and KU committed two errors in the field.
 
Kutztown next opens up its conference slate in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division competition. KU hosts Mansfield for a doubleheader this Friday, March 21, beginning at 1 p.m. The Golden Bears then travel to Mansfield Saturday for two games with the first set to start at 1 p.m.

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