“User Not Registerd” error but it shows up in database

Hey all,
I just installed a fresh WordPress for a client and went in through the front end to create a new admin user and delete the default. After a few minutes, I got signed out and when I went to sign back into the new user I keep getting this error:
Error: The username ***** is not registered on this site. If you are unsure of your username, try your email address instead.

So I tried the email and I got a similar error.
I logged into myPHP admin and see the username and email there spelled correctly.

Since I deleted the original admin user I now have no way to access the front end.

I’m wondering if there’s any way to fix this before I just start over from scratch.

Thanks!