ELKRIDGE, Md. (Interstat) — Justin Ritz pitched a complete game and Marcus Sanders homered and drove in four runs as Coppin State defeated Delaware State 8-3 on Thursday afternoon at Joe Cannon Stadium.

Ritz allowed five hits and three earned runs while striking out five over nine innings. The outing was a sharp turnaround for the Coppin State right-hander, who had allowed a combined eight earned runs over his previous two appearances, both against Wagner. He needed just 81 pitches to dispatch the Hornets, retiring the side in order in the second, fourth, seventh and ninth innings.

The Eagles improved to 11-35, while Delaware State dropped to 7-40.

Coppin State trailed 1-0 until the bottom of the fourth inning, when the Eagles sent nine batters to the plate and scored five times. Armando Hurtado led off with a single and moved to second on a single by Angel Garcia. Pedro Agosto doubled to right field, scoring Hurtado and putting runners at second and third. Nelson Grajales followed with a two-run single to center field, scoring Agosto and Garcia to tie the game 3-3.

After a hit-by-pitch and a wild pitch, Marcus Sanders delivered a two-run single down the right-field line, plating Terrell Milliner and Grajales to give Coppin State a 5-3 lead. Michael Lane, who had started for Delaware State, was relieved after the inning. He allowed five runs on five hits in six innings, striking out eight.

The Hornets cut the deficit to 5-4 in the top of the fifth when Carter Boyd doubled to right-center field, scoring Andrew Shute, who had been hit by a pitch. Boyd finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs.

Delaware State trimmed it further in the sixth. Alec Rodriguez led off with a solo home run to right-center field, his first of the season, making the score 5-4. The Hornets had runners on second and third with two outs but Ritz struck out Rosnell Lewis to end the threat.

Coppin State answered in the bottom of the sixth. Terrell Milliner led off with a hit-by-pitch and moved to second on a balk. Sanders then crushed a two-run homer to left field, his third of the year, extending the lead to 7-4.

The Eagles added an insurance run in the eighth. Milliner walked, advanced on a hit-by-pitch to pinch-hitter Bryce Thompson and a walk to Sanders. After a strikeout, Jordan Treadwell lifted a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Milliner to make it 8-3.

Sean Ely pitched two scoreless innings of relief for Delaware State, striking out two.

The game marked the first contest of a three-game Northeast Conference series between the two teams. The series continues Friday and Saturday at Joe Cannon Stadium.

In the loss, Carter Boyd drove in two runs and scored once. Alec Rodriguez homered and drove in one. Santino Harwood stole a base and scored a run. Rosnell Lewis doubled and scored in the third inning.

For Coppin State, Armando Hurtado and Pedro Agosto each had two hits. Agosto doubled and drove in one run. Grajales had one hit and two RBIs. Milliner scored twice.

The most critical sequence occurred in the bottom of the fourth inning when Coppin State erased a 1-0 deficit with a five-run outburst. The rally began with consecutive singles by Hurtado and Garcia, followed by Agosto’s RBI double. Grajales tied the game with a two-run single, and Sanders put the Eagles ahead for good with his two-run single.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Delaware State 4, Coppin State 3, while Interstat’s ELO system gave Coppin State a 54.70 percent probability to win.