HOBOKEN, N.J. (March 10, 2010) – The Stevens Institute of Technology baseball team evened its overall mark to 4-4 with a, 10-8, upset victory over No. 3 Eastern Connecticut State University at Dobbelaar Baseball Field in Hoboken, N.J. The Warriors are now 2-1 on the season. Stevens returns to action in Auburndale, Fla. for its annual spring trip. The Ducks open up play on March 14 against No. 17 SUNY Cortland before facing defending Liberty League champion Clarkson University on March 15.

Senior Joe Finora started out strong, striking out senior John Parke (Middlefield, Conn.) before getting Travis Bass (West Hartford, Conn.) and junior Jim Schult (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.) to ground out, ending the inning.

The Ducks quickly took the lead in the bottom half of the frame with a Tom Phillips leadoff single through the right side. Senior Mark Rasulo then laced a double to the rightfield gap off the wall, giving Stevens a 1-0 lead. Phillips moved to third on a ground out to short before junior Russ Grimes ripped a single back up the middle to plate the Ducks' second run of the game.

Finora continued to cruise in the ECSU second, striking out the first two batters looking before getting Robert Perry (Manchester, Conn.) to ground out to first. Stevens again scored in the bottom of the second tacking on a pair of runs on an Anthony Andrews homer to right center, making it 4-0.

The Warriors would finally get on the board in the top of the third, scoring a run on a Chris Thomson (Montville, Conn.) double down the rightfield line. With runners on the corners and one out, Finora struck out Bass before junior catcher Denis Ackermann threw back to third, catching Thomson off the bag to end the inning.

Stevens put runners on first and second in the bottom of the third with no out on a Rasulo double down the left field line and an Ackermann walk, prompting an ECSU pitching change. After Grimes flied out to right, sophomore T.J. Alcorn  singled to center, scoring Rasulo to make it 5-1.

ECSU came right back in the fourth, finally getting to Finora with a pair of singles followed by a three-run blast to right by junior Andrew Dewing (Swampscott, Mass.). With two out, senior shortstop Eddie Daniele tracked down a Parke single in shallow center before quickly firing home to throw out Thomson, ending the inning and avoiding any further damage.

The resilient Ducks responded by putting together a four-run fourth to take a 9-4 advantage. Andrews got things started with a one-out single to center. He then stole second before Rasulo drove home the Ducks' sixth run of the game with a double to right center. After Ackermann reached on a hit-by-pitch, Grimes lifted shot over the center field fence for his third homerun of the year, putting Stevens up five.

After a scoreless fifth, ECSU junior Tyler Turgeon (Norwich, Conn.) belted a pinch-hit homer to pare the Ducks led to 9-5. Alcorn responded in the bottom of the seventh with a one-out solo roundtripper of his own to up the margin back up to five. The Warriors pulled within three with a two-run eighth, scoring on a Parke infield single with the bases loaded and a wild pitch. Stevens junior hurler Kyle Hanas finally ended the inning by striking out Bass.

Schult led off the ninth with a homer, cutting it to 10-8 before Daniele threw out Senior Melvin Castillo (Danbury, Conn.) for the first out of the inning. Dewing then struck out swinging for the second out before Perry drew a walk, bringing the tying run to the plate. Sophomore Vincent Vinci, who came in relief of Hanas, then got senior Andrew Smiley (North Kingstown, R.I.) to foul out to right, securing the Stevens victory.

Rasulo went 3-for-4 on the day with two RBI and three runs scored, while Grimes went 2-for-4 with a homer and four RBI. Alcorn and Andrews each finished 2-for-4 with two runs-batted-in.

Freshman Tyler Courter scattered five hits in three and two thirds to capture his first collegiate win, while Vinci recorded his second save of the season.