Stephenville, Texas — The Le Moyne College baseball team took an early 4-0 lead over Tarleton State University, but the Texans scored five unanswered runs to complete a comeback victory over the Dolphins Saturday evening at TSU Baseball Complex, 5-4. 
 
Junior shortstop Mike Whelehan (Hilton, N.Y./Hilton) led the Dolphins with a career-high tying three hits and an RBI in the setback. Sophomore first baseman Dominick Russ (Horseheads, N.Y./Horseheads) had two hits and reached base a total of four times. 
 
Redshirt sophomore Eric Swiencicki (Lancaster, N.Y./St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute) made the start for Le Moyne, striking out four batters and allowing four runs, all unearned, over 3.0 innings of work in his first appearance since March 17, 2024, a span of 699 days..   Redshirt freshman right-hander Mitchell Earle (Cortland, N.Y./Homer) pitched 3.0 innings in relief of Swiencicki, striking out two, allowing one unearned run and recording the loss.
 
The Dolphins took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning as Whelehan and Russ strung together back-to-back singles with one out, and junior right fielder Jack Cannon (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) drove Whelehan in on a fielder's choice to the shortstop.
 
Senior centerfielder Paulie Goodness (Palmyra, N.Y./Palmyra-Macedon Finger Lakes Community College) doubled to left field with two outs in the second, and Whelehan followed with his second single of the game to score Goodness from second.
 
Russ led off the top of the third with a hit by pitch and advanced to second base on a passed ball. Cannon followed with a single to left field which put runners on the corners with no outs. Right-hander Aden Lucas entered the game in relief of starting pitcher Ashton Bassett following Cannon's single, and gave up an RBI single to senior third baseman Adam Sullivan (Syracuse, N.Y./Marcellus) on his first pitch thrown. Cannon moved to third on a fielder's choice hit by senior left fielder Tyler Campbell (Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill/Onondaga C.C.), and then scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by sophomore designated hitter Derek Diaz (White Plains, N.Y. Iona Prep) to push the Dolphins lead to 4-0.
 
The Texans responded in the bottom of the third inning, as a fielding error allowed second baseman Slade McCloud to reach third base with one out, and he then scored on an infield single by third baseman Carson Lorch. A walk and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the third, and a bases-clearing triple to the center field wall from shortstop Ike Shirey tied the score at 4-4.
 
Whelehan hit a two-out single to center field in the top of the fourth inning for his third hit of the game, but was left stranded on the base paths.
 
Earle took the mound to begin the bottom of the fourth inning, making his first appearance of his career.
 
The Texans loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth inning with one out. Earle got right fielder Braden Gostisha to strike out looking and left fielder Jake Tatom flew out to right field to escape the jam and end the inning.
 
Tarleton State loaded the bases again in the bottom of the sixth inning with one out. Earle struck out catcher Brady Englett for the second out, but a fielding error would allow designated hitter Sergio Guerra to reach base and brought centerfielder Kendyl Johnson home from third, giving the Texans their first lead of the day, 5-4.
 
Russ reached base for the fourth time on a single up the middle in the top of the seventh inning. Sullivan worked a two-out walk to put runners on first and second, but the Dolphins were unable to push a runner across.
 
Redshirt sophomore right-hander Billy Canale (Niskayuna, N.Y. Niskayuna) began the bottom of the seventh inning on the mound, making his first appearance since March 24, 2024, a span of 692 days. 
 
With two outs and a runner on second base, the Dolphins intentionally walked McCloud to face Lorch. The first pitch of the at bat was thrown in the dirt, and sophomore catcher Robert Wegrzyn (North Tonawanda, N.Y./Niagara-Wheatfield) threw to second base to catch McCloud attempting to advance and end the inning.  
 
The Texans had runners on first and second with two outs again in the bottom of the eighth inning, but Canale got Shirey to fly out to right field to end the inning. 
 
Right-hander Tai Phetluangsy pitched the final two innings for Tarleton State in his first appearance of the season. He retired all six batters faced and earned the save to secure the victory for the Texans, 5-4. 
 
Le Moyne and Tarleton State will finish the series on Sunday at 2:00 PM ET / 1:00 PM CT.