Virginia Beach, VA – Over two months ago, the Regent University Baseball team began their inaugural season at Virginia Wesleyan University, and today they would end it at the same place. This would be the fifth meeting between the two teams this year and the final game before the Royals begin play in the Coast-To-Coast-Athletic Conference Championships. The Marlins have been playing baseball since 1974, while Regent has been playing for only 70 days. However, a crosstown rivalry has emerged and behind solid pitching and timely hitting, the Royals were able to come away with a win over their fellow 757 neighbors defeating Virginia Wesleyan by a final score of 11-8.
The Royals jumped out to an early 1-0 lead and never trailed. They added three runs in the fourth, two more in the fifth, one in the sixth, and capped their offensive surge with four runs in the seventh to pull away from the Marlins. Regent finished with 11 runs on 9 hits, while taking advantage of 7 walks and 8 hit-by-pitches.
Offensive highlights for Regent included strong contributions up and down the lineup:
-
Freshman Nathan Vaughan (Mechanicsville, VA) went 2-for-2 with 2 runs, an RBI, 2 walks, a hit-by-pitch, a stolen base, and a sacrifice fly.
-
Sophomore Maddox German (Fairfax, VA) delivered a clutch 1-for-4 effort with a double, 4 RBIs (including a three-RBI double in the seventh), a hit-by-pitch, and a sacrifice fly.
-
Freshman Dylan Oblepias (Katy, TX) added a double, 2 runs, an RBI, a stolen base, and reached base multiple times via hit-by-pitch and sacrifice fly.
-
Freshman Colton Sandiford (Seaford, VA) contributed 2 hits, including a double, with an RBI, a run, and a walk.
-
Freshman Jordan Hunt (Virginia Beach, VA), Sophomore Andrew Knox (Chesapeake, VA) and Junior Ethan Loucks (Montpelier, VA) each added hits, runs, and key on-base opportunities, with the team showing plate discipline and situational hitting throughout.
On the mound, Junior Kaden Hunley (Saluda, VA) started and worked 3.2 innings, followed by solid relief outings from Junior Wilson Estep (Williamsburg, VA), Sophomore Austin Shackelford (Gloucester, VA) and Freshman James Blotter (Newport News, VA) who closed it out. The staff combined for 10 strikeouts while forcing Virginia Wesleyan to leave 14 base runners stranded.
The win marks Regent's second victory against the Marlins this season (following an earlier win in the series), providing a strong end to the regular season. For a team that was picked to finish last in the Conference they proved the voters wrong by winning 18 games and earning the 4th seed in the upcoming tournament.
The Royals will now wait to see where they will play in the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Tournament Semifinal which will be played on Thursday, May 7th at the higher seed.
