VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- The Allegheny College baseball team opened the 2026 campaign by taking the first two games of its weekend series from Regent University at Landstown High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia, on Saturday afternoon.

The Gators (2-0) swept their doubleheader against the Royals (0-4) with a 14-9 win in the series opener and a 10-2 victory in the nightcap. Offensively, Allegheny combined for 24 runs on 24 hits, while the pitching of junior Ben Shields (Charleroi, Pa./Charleroi Area) highlighted the late game.

Allegheny 14, Regent 9
Walks allowed the hosts to score three times in the bottom of the first, but the Gators quickly rebounded by scoring the next 12 runs to take an insurmountable lead. In the top of the third, Nick Banez (Edmonds, Wash./Meadowdale) evened the score at 3-all with a two-run, two-out base hit, and Connor Kunkle (Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area) doubled in the fourth to put Allegheny on top. Allegheny's four-run fifth frame included another two-run, two-out knock from Ryan Cochran (Pittsburgh, Pa./Deer Lakes). In the sixth, the Gators loaded the bases with the first three batters and scored twice on RBI groundouts to extend the lead to 12-3.

Although Regent tagged the first two Allegheny relievers for six runs in the sixth and seventh, second-year righty Evan Belkin (Austin, Texas/James Bowie) shut the Royals down in the last two innings. The Royals managed to load the bases in the bottom of the ninth, but Belkin forced Maddox German to pop up in the infield to secure the win.

Southpaw Parker McRay (Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee) recovered from a rocky first inning to earn the win on the mound. The sophomore surrendered three runs on only two hits and struck out six in 5.0 innings, the second-longest appearance of his young career.

Allegheny 10, Regent 2
The Gator offense had more hits in Game 2, but the story of the nightcap was all about Shields on the mound. In his third career start, the 6-foot-2 right-hander tossed a complete-game gem. He struck out 10 against only one walk on 112 pitches and limited the Royals to two runs on five hits.

After allowing two runs in the fifth, Shields allowed only three more baserunners. He got better as the game progressed, punching out two of the three batters he faced in the sixth and seventh. Shields then closed the ninth by fanning three consecutive pinch hitters.

At the dish, the Gators posted crooked numbers on the scoreboard with four runs in the first and eighth innings. In the first, Banez cleared the bases with a three-run double. With the bases loaded in the eighth, Liam Irving (Olney, Md./Sherwood), Vinny Sarcone (McMurray, Pa./Peters Township), and Cochran earned RBIs in three straight plate appearances with a single, walk, and sac fly.

Inside the Box Score: Game 1

• Both teams finished with 10 hits and earned nine walks at the plate.
• Cochran, Kunkle, and Noah Philson (Greenville, Pa./Greenville) each had two hits.
• Batting eighth and ninth in the lineup, Philson scored a team-high three runs, while Kunkle drove in a team-high three runs.
• McRay struck out six and walked six in 5.0 innings en route to the win.
• Regent sophomore Adam Tatham took the loss with six runs allowed in 1.1 innings out of the bullpen.

Inside the Box Score: Game 2

• Allegheny nearly tripled Regent's hit total, 14-to-5.
• Three Gators had multiple hits, and four had an extra-base hit.
• Irving finished 4-for-5 from the lead-off spot.
• Banez was 3-for-4 with two runs and three RBIs.
• Shields allowed two runs on five hits and struck out 10 in a complete-game effort.
• Regent starter Will Maloney took the loss with five runs (one earned) with six strikeouts in 6.0 innings of work.

News and Notes

• Allegheny opened 2-0 for the second consecutive season by sweeping Saturday's doubleheader.
• The Gators and Royals met for the first time in program history, as Regent is in its first season of NCAA baseball.
• Irving tied a single-game career-high with four hits in the second game of the series.
• Shields earned his second collegiate victory in his third start with a nine-inning complete game.
• Freshmen Kunkle, Zach Miner (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township), and Wyatt Burchill (Saegertown, Pa./Saegertown) each started the first two games of their Allegheny careers.

Up Next
The Gators and Royals will conclude their three-game set on Sunday, February 22, at 11 a.m.