OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. (Apr. 10, 2011) – Junior Sebastian Grazziani (Whitestone, N.Y.) hit an RBI double through the left side to plate the game-winning run as NYIT baseball defeated Northern Colorado 9-6. Senior Eric Cos (Coral Gables, Fla.) scored the run after getting on with a leadoff walk. With the win, the battle of the Bears was split 2-2.

 

Grazziani went 2-for-4 for NYIT, who improved to 6-17 on the season and 2-2 in Great West Conference action. Grazziani is also credited with two RBI. Senior Effrey Valdez (Flushing, N.Y.) pushed his career hits total and the school’s all-time tally to 272 and counting.

 

The battle on the mound went to sophomore Robert Loftus (Massapequa, N.Y.); he tossed one inning of one hit relief. He walked two. The save was earned by junior J.C. Costa (Flushing, N.Y.). He pitched two-thirds of a shutout inning with one strike out. The no-decision went to starter Tom Cardona (Bronx, N.Y.), who tossed 7.1 innings and struck out seven. All six of Northern Colorado’s runs were credited to him. The loss went to reliever Kevin Willman (0-1).

 

Both teams scored in the first inning and the game remained tied 1-1 until the fourth when NYIT exploded for four runs. After Northern Colorado took a 2-1 edge in the top of the inning, the Bears, who were hungry for another win, rallied to play four. Valdez was pitched a leadoff walk and then advanced to third on a Jerry Smith (Nesconset, N.Y.) double to right center. Valdez scored the equalizing run on a Dane Hardy (Willingboro, N.J.) single to left field. The following run, Smith, was plated on a Northern Colorado throwing error.

 

Cos then scored his first run of the game on a Sebastian Grazziani double the right center. The tandem would pair up again in the eighth to provide the game-winner. The rally came to a close as senior catcher George Carroll (Bayside, N.Y.) singled through the left side to drive home Grazziani. NYIT led 5-2.

 

The Bears made it a 6-2 game in the fifth as Valdez went yard for the third time in the series, and the fourth of the season.

 

Yet, the visiting Bears did not back down and fought for a run in the sixth and three in the eighth to tie the game 6-6.

 

But the NYIT Bears prevailed with three runs in the bottom of the eighth for the victory. After Cos scored the game-winner off a Grazziani double, the junior third baseman was then driven home for the insurance run on sacrifice fly by Carroll. With two outs on the board, sophomore designated hitter Ali Rodriguez (Yorktown, Va.) homered to left field for the final score 9-6. It was his first of the season.

 

On Deck

NYIT returns to action on Wednesday, Apr. 13 on the road at Siena College. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. in Troy, N.Y.

 

About NYIT
New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees in more than 90 fields of study, including architecture and design; arts and sciences; education; engineering and computing sciences; health professions; management; and osteopathic medicine. A non-profit independent, private institution of higher education, NYIT has more than 15,000 students attending campuses on Long Island and Manhattan, online, and at its global campuses. NYIT sponsors 11 NCAA Division II programs and one Division I team.

 

Led by President Edward Guiliano, NYIT is guided by its mission to provide career-oriented professional education, offer access to opportunity to all qualified students, and support applications-oriented research that benefits the larger world. To date, 85,000 graduates have received degrees from NYIT. For more information, visit nyit.edu.

 

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Contact       
Sabrina Polidoro

Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing

Sports Information Director
O: 516.686.7504

C: 516.351.7664
spolidor@nyit.edu