It’s the top of the eighth inning – Steven Foster steps up to the plate as the potential go-ahead run. Hofstra is down 5-4 against the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) with Sean Rausch standing on first base. Foster, ahead in the count 2-0, drives the baseball over the wall for a home run, giving the Pride the lead and sealing a 6-5 victory Tuesday in Old Westbury, New York.

This win ends Hofstra’s five-game losing streak, improving to 5-14 on the season.

This game was much more competitive than the first between the two teams (Hofstra won 14-3), but at the end of the day, the Pride swept the season series against the Bears.

It was a back-and-forth affair throughout this one as the Pride jumped out to an early 1-0 lead courtesy of a throwing error by the Bears’ starting pitcher, Frank Valentino.

In the ensuing inning, Robert Fiato of NYIT responded with a two-run homer. Then, in the third, Hofstra’s own Teddy Cillis drove in two runs with a double, giving the Pride a 3-2 lead.

To follow up in the fifth and sixth innings, Louis Mele, Fiato and Matt DeAngelis drove in one run each for the Bears, providing them with a 5-3 lead. Fiato hit his second home run of the game during that stint and finished with three runs batted in.

Then, in the seventh and eighth innings, Hofstra tacked on runs thanks to a Mikey Riesner RBI single to score David Leiderman and then of course, Foster’s game winning home run.

John Ryan (1-2) got the win as he pitched a perfect final three innings of the ballgame. Elias Martinez (0-4) of the Bears received the loss as a result of giving up the two go-ahead runs for the Pride in the eighth inning.

Foster continues to lead his team in batting average at .364 while Riesner leads in RBI with 15.

Up next for the Pride is the beginning of conference play, a three-game series against the College of Charleston, beginning March 24.