GRAND FORKS, N.D. (May 27, 2011) - NYIT baseball fell in a hard-fought 6-3 battle against Houston Baptist in the quarterfinals of the 2011 Great West Conference tournament. With the loss, the Bears bring the season to a close with a 19-32 overall record and fourth place conference finish. 

 

Seniors Effrey Valdez (Flushing, N.Y.) and Jerry Smith (Nesconset, N.Y.) raised the bar in the NYIT record books by breaks three all-time records. Valdez compled a career 320 hits and 52 doubles, while Smith surpassed his brother Brian (B.S. '10) on the all-time games played list with a career 212. Brian graduated last spring with 211 games played.

 

On a rain-slicked field, the Huskies jumped on the Bears early with a three-run first inning off starter J.C. Costa (Flushing, N.Y.).

 

NYIT rallied right back in the next half-inning with two runs before HBU plated one more in the bottom half, making it a 4-2 ball game.

 

After a scoreless third for both teams, Dan Lackner (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) singled in a run for the Bears, his third RBI of the game, trimming the Huskies advantage to 4-3. But like HBU did in the second, the Huskies responded behind a two-run double down the line by Kolby Arnst.

 

Costa, who dropped to 0-3 on the season, lasted five solid innings, allowing six runs, five earned, on seven hits in the losing effort. Smith went 3-for-5 with a run, while senior George Carroll (Bayside, N.Y.) went 2-for-5 with two runs.