ANNAPOLIS, Md. (Interstat) — Will Howard’s three RBIs and a chaotic, error-aided ninth-inning rally lifted the Navy Midshipmen to an 8-7 comeback victory over the Coppin State Eagles on Tuesday afternoon at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium.

The game, which concluded under evening lights after a late start, saw Navy erase a four-run deficit in its final at-bat to improve to 8-3. Coppin State fell to 0-8 after another narrow defeat.

Coppin State built a 7-4 lead through eight and a half innings, capitalizing on timely hitting. Armando Hurtado and Marcus Sanders each drove in two runs for the Eagles. Hurtado had two doubles, while Sanders added a single, a double and two RBIs.

Navy chipped away early against Coppin State starter Aaden Lopez, who pitched three scoreless innings with three strikeouts. The Midshipmen broke through in the fourth when Howard launched a solo home run off reliever Nick Dolbin.

The Eagles extended their lead with single runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings, and an unearned run in the eighth made it 7-4. Navy relievers Timmy Virtudes and Tyler Grenn combined for 3 1/3 scoreless innings to keep the margin manageable, setting the stage for the final frame.

The most important part of the game unfolded in the bottom of the ninth. Facing Coppin State reliever Brandon Stephens, who had struck out the side in the eighth, Navy’s Evan Brown led off with a single. Pinch-hitter Ty DePerno walked, bringing the tying run to the plate.

Henry Mitchell then laid down a sacrifice bunt, but Stephens’ throwing error allowed both Brown and DePerno to score, tying the game at 7. Jake Hooten followed with a bunt single, and Mason Ceccarelli executed another sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position.

After a pitching change brought in Mekenna Wakakuwa, Victor Izquierdo delivered a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Mitchell with the winning run.

Howard finished 2 for 4 with the homer and three RBIs to lead Navy’s eight-hit attack. Grenn earned the win with 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, and Jackson Clark pitched a perfect ninth for Navy.

Coppin State out-hit Navy 9-8 but committed three errors, all of which proved costly. Jack Joyce and Brandon Stephens provided strong relief for the Eagles, combining for three innings with five strikeouts and no hits allowed before the ninth-inning collapse.

The comeback victory defied the pregame projection from Interstat, which gave Navy a 79.90 percent probability to win but had forecast a 7-0 shutout.

Navy next hosts a four-game series against Dartmouth beginning Friday. Coppin State returns home to begin a three-game set with Mercyhurst on Friday.