STEPHENVILLE, Texas (Interstat) — The Tarleton State Texans completed a season-opening sweep of the Le Moyne Dolphins with a 13-8 victory Sunday in a sloppy, back-and-forth affair at Tarleton Baseball Complex.

The game, which started in the afternoon and concluded under evening lights, saw the Texans improve to 3-0 while the Dolphins fell to 0-3. The outcome defied a pregame projection from Interstat’s game simulator, which had forecast a 7-4 Tarleton State win, though the Texans’ 68.4% win probability proved accurate.

Le Moyne struck first, capitalizing on Tarleton State mistakes to build an early lead. The Dolphins pushed across four unearned runs in the fourth inning. Jack Cannon scored on a single by Chaz Anthony, and Adam Sullivan came home on a fielding error by the Texans’ shortstop.

However, Tarleton State’s offense, which amassed 16 hits, consistently chipped away and then exploded late. The Texans answered with three runs in the bottom of the fourth, highlighted by a sacrifice fly from Sergio Guerra and a squeeze bunt RBI from Ike Shirey, to cut the deficit to 8-7.

The most important sequence of the game came in the bottom of the seventh inning, when Tarleton State broke an 8-8 tie and seized control for good. With one out and a runner on, Brandon Englett laced an RBI double to give the Texans a 10-8 lead. After a strikeout, Guerra launched a two-run homer to right field, extending the advantage to 12-8. The Texans were not done, adding another run later in the frame on an RBI single by Ryan Smeenk to make it 13-8.

The Dolphins, who grounded into four double plays and left multiple opportunities unanswered, mounted a final threat in the eighth. They scored three unearned runs, all with two outs, on a fielding error by the right fielder, a run-scoring groundout by Mike Whelehan and a wild pitch. But the rally stopped there, and Le Moyne’s Robert Wegrzyn grounded into the team’s fourth double play in the ninth to end the game.

Dominick Russ provided a bright spot for Le Moyne with a solo home run in the seventh inning. Carson Lorch reached base four times for Tarleton State, walking twice and singling once. The Texans executed two sacrifice flies in the victory.

Le Moyne continues its challenging road stretch with a three-game series at James Madison starting Friday. Tarleton State faces a quick turnaround, hosting Arkansas on Monday at Globe Life Field in Arlington.