LEIPSIC, Del. (Interstat) — In a nonconference baseball game that defied all statistical logic and expectation, the Le Moyne Dolphins outlasted the Delaware State Hornets 24-19 on Monday in a four-hour marathon defined by offensive explosions and persistent defensive miscues.

The game, organized by the Northeast Conference and played at Soldier Field, saw the teams combine for 42 hits and 43 runs, a far cry from the Interstat game simulator’s projected 1-0 Le Moyne victory. The Dolphins, who entered with a 1-9 record, pounded out 24 hits, while the winless Hornets (0-12) collected 18 hits of their own in a losing effort.

The most critical sequence of the game arrived in the top of the fourth inning, with Le Moyne trailing 8-3. The Dolphins sent 13 batters to the plate, erupting for eight runs to seize an 11-8 lead. The inning was capped by a towering grand slam to center field by first baseman Robert Wegrzyn, the team’s top star. Wegrzyn’s blast, part of a two-for-six, five-RBI day, turned a five-run deficit into a three-run advantage and set the tone for the remainder of the high-scoring affair.

Delaware State refused to relent. The Hornets answered with a four-run fifth inning, highlighted by a two-run, ground-rule double from Jabril Bullock, who finished with three hits and five RBIs. They then plated four more in the sixth, three of which were unearned due to a Le Moyne fielding error, to knot the game at 16-16. Jaryn Sample was a constant threat for the Hornets, going four for six with a home run, a double and three RBIs.

Le Moyne, however, delivered the decisive blow in the eighth inning, batting around for the second time and scoring eight runs on seven hits to build a 24-16 cushion. The Dolphins sent 13 men to the plate again, with Isaac Brozon driving in two on a single, Cooper Romich plating two with a double and Chaz Anthony adding a ground-rule RBI double. Jack Cannon was instrumental throughout, going five for seven with three RBIs and three runs scored, while Romich drove in five runs.

Delaware State scratched across three more runs in the bottom of the eighth, two coming on a Carter Boyd double and a sacrifice fly from Bullock, but could not mount a final rally in the ninth against Le Moyne reliever Luke Connors, who recorded the final four outs without allowing a hit.

The victory marked a stark departure from recent form for both clubs. Le Moyne had been outscored 49-3 in a three-game sweep at North Carolina just over a week ago, while Delaware State had suffered a series of lopsided defeats, including two 24-4 losses to Virginia Military Institute in February.

Pitching was largely secondary on this afternoon that stretched into evening. The teams used 13 pitchers combined, who issued 20 walks and hit four batters. Seven of the game’s 43 runs were unearned, a product of four errors.

Le Moyne looks to build on the win when it opens a three-game series at New Haven on Friday. Delaware State seeks its first victory Wednesday at Maryland-Baltimore County.