KOKOMO, Ind. — Another late-inning lead was given up by the Butler BlueSox bullpen.

Only this time, it took seven extra innings for the team to meet with defeat.

Kokomo’s Griffin Harms doubled in Mitch Stoltzfus in the bottom of the 16th inning, earning for the Jackrabbits a 5-4 marathon Prospect League baseball victory at Kokomo Municipal Stadium Thursday night.

The Jackrabbits forced extra innings when they erased a 4-1 deficit with three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning off Butler reliever Kyle Zurak.

It was the fourth consecutive loss for Butler and the third game in a row that the BlueSox blew a lead in the eighth inning or later.

“We’re getting down in the count. There’s been some walks and then a hit or an error,” said Butler manager Jason Radwan. “It’s not just a question of pitching, we haven’t played good defense (five combined errors the last two games). Overall, we just are not playing clean baseball late in the game.”

Both teams went six straight extra innings without scoring. Butler’s Jack Herzing entered the game with one out in the bottom of the ninth and went on to pitch 5 2/3 scoreless innings.

Herzing struck out seven, walked three and allowed only a single hit.

“This is the third outing in a row that he has done really well for us,” said Radwan. “He got a few double-play balls tonight and a lot of strikeouts. He did a great job getting us through those innings.”

Herzing was followed by Shawn Holman, who pitched a scoreless 15th inning, but was charged with the loss in the next frame.

The Sox broke a 1-all tie in the top of the seventh when Russell Clark’s single scored Tommy Baggett and Jamie Switalski.

Butler added a fourth run as Tyler Sullivan singled home Dillon Sunnafrank in the ninth. But Stoltzfus launched a 3-run home run off of Zurak in the bottom of the frame to tie the game once again.

Connor Coward started on the mound for Butler and was charged with one run allowed on five hits in seven innings pitched while striking out five and walking one.

Kokomo (13-12) was unable to do anything against reliever Carter Krick in the eighth before getting to Zurak in the ninth.

Butler tallied 16 hits in the game, paced by Clark’s three singles. Kokomo center fielder Michael Abate went 3-for-5 to lead his team’s 12-hit attack.

While Butler used just five pitchers in the game, the Jackrabbits used eight. Matt Ulrich earned the win after blanking Butler in the top of the 16th.

The Sox (12-13) are below .500 for the first time since beginning the season 2-3.

“We have a pretty relaxed group and I’m a pretty relaxed guy,” Radwan said. “We go into every day with a fresh mind-set. I know we have a good enough team to bounce back from this.”

The Sox play at Danville today.