Box Score

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The University of South Alabama baseball team fell to Auburn 13-12 Tuesday at Riverwalk Stadium.

Auburn (15-6) faced a six-run deficit after 3 1/2 innings before pushing across seven runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 7-6 lead. South Alabama (15-4) answered with four runs in the top of the fifth, but the Tigers plated five runs in the bottom-half of the fifth for a 12-10 lead. The Jags scored runs in the seventh and eighth innings to tie the score 12-12 before Auburn pushed across the eventual game-winning run on an RBI groundout to first by Mike Bello in the bottom of the eighth.

UP NEXT
South Alabama will return to action Friday when it opens a three-game Sun Belt Conference series with Louisiana at 6 p.m. at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field at Russo Park in Lafayette, La.

GAME FACTS
- Erick Orbeta drew a leadoff walk in the top of the first, and advanced to second on a single to left field by Will Turner. Miles Simington followed with a two-run double down the left field line for a 2-0 Jag advantage. Hunter Stokes delivered a one-out RBI single to center field to plate Simington for a 3-0 lead. Santi Montiel followed with a single up the middle, and Hunter Donaldson reached on a hit by pitch to load the bases with one out. But a double play on a popup bunt on a suicide-squeeze attempt by Cameron Tissue ended the threat.
- Charles Middleton led off the top of the third with a walk, and moved to second on a wild pitch. Stokes followed with a walk before Santi Montiel reached on a fielder's choice on a grounder to third to put runners at the corners with one out. Donaldson then laced an RBI double to left-center field to plate Middleton for a 4-0 Jaguar lead. Tissue followed with a sacrifice fly to left field to plate Montiel for a 5-0 USA advantage.
- Orbeta singled to left-center field to lead off the top of the fourth, stole second and later scored on a two-out RBI single up the middle by Middleton for a 6-0 Jaguar lead.
- Auburn cut the USA lead to 6-1 in the bottom of the fourth on a one-out RBI single to left field by Garrett Farquhar. Blake Rambusch followed with an RBI single to center field to cut the Jaguar advantage to 6-2. A walk by Kason Howell loaded the bases for Sonny DiChiara, who delivered a two-run single up the middle to cut the USA lead to 6-4. An RBI single up the middle by Brooks Carlson cut the Jag lead to 6-5. A two-out, two-run double to right field by Brody Moore gave the Tigers a 7-6 lead. 
- Montiel singled to center field to lead off the top of the fifth, and moved to second on a walk by Donaldson. A sacrifice bunt by Tissue advanced both runners into scoring position with one out. Diego Altamirano followed with an RBI groundout to first to plate Montiel and tie the score 7-7. A two-out, two-run double by Turner later in the inning scored Donaldson and Orbeta, who reached on a walk, gave the Jags a 9-7 lead. Simington followed with an RBI double to left field to score Turner for a 10-7 lead. 
- The Tigers cut the Jag lead to 10-8 in the bottom of the fifth on a leadoff solo home run to left field by Farquhar. Auburn loaded the bases with one out later in the inning on a hit by pitch to Rambusch, walk by Howell and hit by pitch to DiChiara. Carlson followed with an RBI infield single up the middle to cut the Jag lead to 10-9. A pinch-hit RBI single through the right side of the infield by Cam Hill tied the score 10-10. Moore followed with an RBI single through the left side of the infield for an 11-10 Tiger advantage. Bobby Peirce then delivered an RBI single to right-center field for a 12-10 Auburn lead. 
- Altamirano reached on a hit by pitch to lead off the top of the seventh, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on an RBI single up the middle by Orbeta to cut the AU lead to 12-11. 
- Montiel reached on a two-base error to lead off the top of the eighth when Howell dropped a fly ball in center field, and advanced to third on a groundout to first by Donaldson. Tissue followed with an RBI bunt single back to the pitcher on a squeeze play to score Montiel and tie the score 12-12. 
- Peirce tripled to the right-center gap to lead off the bottom of the eighth, and scored on an RBI groundout to first by Bello for a 13-12 Tiger lead. 

NOTES
- Turner extended his hitting streak to six games with a single to left field in the top of the first.
- Simington extended his on-base streak to 17 games with a two-run double down the left field line in the top of the first. 
- Middleton extended his on-base streak to nine games with a leadoff walk in the top of the third, and extended his hitting streak to eight games with a two-out RBI single up the middle in the top of the fourth. 
- South Alabama tied its season high in hits (15), which matched its previous high against Rhode Island on Feb. 25.
- The loss snapped a seven-game Jaguar win streak. 
- Eight Jaguars hit safely in the game, led by Simington who went 3-for-5 with two doubles, three RBIs and one run scored. Orbeta tied his career high in hits, finishing 3-for-4 with one RBI and three runs scored, and Turner    went 2-for-6 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored. Donaldson finished with two doubles, one RBI and one run scored, and Tissue added one hit and two RBIs.
- Jaguar right-hander Eric Lin (1-1) tied his career high in innings pitched, and allowed one run on one hit with one strikeout and one walk in 3 2/3 innings in the loss.
- The game marked the eighth consecutive contest the Jags have recorded 10 or more hits.

Head Coach Mark Calvi
- On the loss:
"Our guys competed like crazy. I told them I couldn't be happier with everything but the result. We played hard and competed start to finish, we just didn't do a good enough job tonight on the mound. Our pitchers have been outstanding for us all year long, we just gave too many free passes tonight and didn't put some hitters away when we had a chance to do it. But those guys are the reason we have had success early on in the year. All three phases have been really good, and in the most important phase we weren't as sharp as we needed to be tonight. And against a good hitting ball club it got us. I couldn't be more pleased with our guys' and coaches' effort. The results just didn't go our way, and that's the only thing I'm not pleased with.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with USAJaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at Twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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