JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Interstat) — In a midweek game defined by missed opportunities and defensive miscues, the Jacksonville Dolphins capitalized on a critical Bethune-Cookman error in the seventh inning to secure a 4-3 comeback victory Tuesday night at John Sessions Stadium.

The game, a tightly contested affair that saw both teams manage just four hits apiece, turned on a sequence of unearned runs. Jacksonville improved to 12-13, while Bethune-Cookman fell to 17-8.

The most important part of the game unfolded in the bottom of the seventh inning with the score tied 3-3. Jacksonville’s Roger Vergara led off with a single and was sacrificed to second. Facing reliever Justin Morales, Cade Walter hit a ground ball that Bethune-Cookman shortstop Sergio Rivera could not handle, allowing Vergara to score what proved to be the decisive run. Walter was later caught stealing, but the damage was done.

This mirrored the game’s opening, which was also dictated by defensive lapses. Bethune-Cookman had taken an early 3-0 lead before a Jacksonville batter stepped to the plate, a result of three unearned runs in the top of the first inning. The Wildcats’ Jeter Polledo delivered the key blow in that frame, a two-run single that capped the early scoring.

Jacksonville immediately answered in the home half of the first, taking advantage of a Bethune-Cookman error at third base. Sam Grunberg and Conner Spelman followed with run-scoring hits, both runs unearned, to cut the deficit to 3-2.

The Dolphins tied the game in the fifth, again without the benefit of a cleanly scored run. Logan Baratta walked, stole second, advanced to third on a throwing error by the catcher, and scored when Walter reached on an error by the Bethune-Cookman second baseman.

Bethune-Cookman squandered a prime chance to reclaim the lead in the top of the sixth. With Polledo on third and two men on base, Jorge Rodriguez struck out swinging against reliever Grant Brooks to end the threat.

Polledo was a standout in the loss, going 3 for 4 with two RBIs. The rest of the Wildcats’ lineup combined for just one other hit.

Pitching dominated much of the night, with both bullpens delivering strong performances. For Jacksonville, Dominic Pieto, Kyle Powers and Kyle Hopper combined for 4 2/3 innings of scoreless, two-hit relief. Hopper entered with the bases loaded in the seventh and induced a pop-out to escape the jam.

Bethune-Cookman’s relievers were equally effective. David Morrissey, Justin Morales, Michael Benedict, Pablo Torres and Anthony Anselmo collectively threw 6 1/3 shutout innings, allowing only two hits and striking out six. The Wildcats’ staff did not allow an earned run in the game, with all four Jacksonville runs being unearned.

The result defied the pregame projections. Interstat’s game simulator had forecast a lopsided 8-2 win for Bethune-Cookman, while its ELO system gave Jacksonville a 62.4% probability to win.

Bethune-Cookman, which entered on a three-game winning streak after sweeping Alcorn State, will look to rebound as it opens a series against Jackson State on Friday. Jacksonville, which had dropped its previous two games at Queens, begins a series against North Florida on Friday.