Virginia Beach, VA - It was another historic day for the Regent University Baseball team, as they hosted their first-ever home game on Friday night, welcoming in USA South member Southern Virginia University.  Before things got started the fans in attendance saw the University's Executive Vice President, Dr. Joseph Umidi, throw out the first pitch, commemorating the significance of the night.  Though the Royals fell just short in a 7-6 back-and-forth game, the energy from the crowd and the team's performance made it a night to remember, marking a proud milestone for the program.

Regent fell behind early, trailing 4-1 after four innings, but came to life in the fifth with a four-run rally that tied the game at 5-5. Highlighting the inning was a three-run homer to center field by Freshman Dylan Oblepias (Katy, TX).  Earlier, solid pitching from starter Junior Elijah Clarke (Newport News, VA) kept things competitive, as he navigated early threats and struck out a number of Knight batters to keep the game close.  The Royals' offense stayed aggressive, as Freshman Noah Vaughan (Mechanicsville, VA) doubled and scored, while Sophomore Maddox German (Fairfax, VA) drove in a run with a timely single. In addition, Freshman Jordan Hunt (Virginia Beach, VA) added another run in the seventh on an RBI single cutting the deficit to one run. Regent's defense tightened in the late innings, with relievers Junior Wilson Estep (Williamsburg, VA) and Junior Wyatt Helsel (Poquoson, VA) coming in to slow down Southern Virginia's bats. 

Oblepias finished the game 2-3, with 4 RBI's and a Home Run, while German and Vaughn both went 2-5 with an RBI  On the mound, the Royals' pitchers combined for 9 total strikeouts.

Regent will be back in action on Saturday, February 21st when begin a three-game series with Allegheny College starting with a doubleheader.  First pitches are set for 12:00pm and 3:30pm.