MOBILE, Ala. | Nelia Peralta broke a scoreless tie with a solo home run to lead off the eighth as Auburn picked up a 1-0 victory over South Alabama in extra innings Wednesday night at Jaguar Field.

With the loss, South Alabama drops to 17-28 on the year, while Auburn improves to 28-20.

Quotable – head coach Becky Clark
- On the game: "(Olivia) Cato pitched a great game and gave us a chance to win. She's getting better and better each time she goes out. We had our chances offensively, but hit balls right at people. We've got to rebound and get ready for a very hot ULM team this weekend."

How It Happened 
•    Gabby Stagner drew a one-out walk in the bottom of the first for the Jags, and the senior infielder then moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. After getting down 1-2 in the count, Olivia Branstetter battled back to draw a walk of her own, but the Tigers were able to turn a double play to get out of the inning.
•    For the third time in as many innings, Auburn had the lead off batter reach via a walk as Rose Roach drew the free pass. Abbey Smith then reached for the second time with a soft liner to shallow left center to put a pair on for the Tigers, but Branstetter was able to help get the Jags out of the inning as she turned a double play.
•    Amity White walked to begin the bottom of the fifth, ending a streak of seven-straight retired by Haley Rainey. White moved into scoring position one batter later on Megan Davidson's sacrifice bunt, and the sophomore moved up to third on a deep fly out to center. Rainey though was able to hold South off the scoreboard as she induced a ground out to first to end the frame and keep the game scoreless.
•    Peralta and AnnLea Adams recorded back-to-back one-out singles in the Tigers' half of the sixth, but Olivia Cato (4-5) was able to work out of the jam with a pair of fly outs, and keep the game scoreless.
•    With one out in the top of the seventh, Amelia Lech snuck one through the left side of the infield. Two batters later, Roach walked for her second time to put a pair on for Auburn, but Cato was again able to escape with a fly out to center.
•    Peralta broke the scoreless tie as she led off the eighth with her ninth home run of the season (AU, 1-0). 
•    SJ Geurin retired the Jags in order in the bottom half of the inning to improve to 18-9.

Postgame Notes
•    Prior to the game, Stagner was honored as one of South's four seniors 
•    The meeting marked the 10th in the all-time series and the first in Mobile since the 2011 season
•    The game marked the first to go extra innings in the series since April 14, 2009, and was the fourth extra-inning game of the season for the Jags
•    One run game marked the seventh in the series and no game has been decided by more than three runs
•    With her first-inning walk, Stagner has now reached base in 28 of her last 33 and all but five of her 42 games this season
•    Branstetter's walk extended her current reached base streak to eight games as she has also reached safely in 20 of her last 22 games
•    South Alabama was held hitless until Stephanie Gonzalez's one-out single in the bottom of the seventh
•    Gonzalez has had a hit 10 of her last 18 games and reached base safely in 13 of her last 19 games

Up Next
•    South Alabama will host Sun Belt Conference leader ULM in a three-game series over the weekend. Game one of the series is set for Friday evening at Jaguar Field with first pitch set for 6 p.m.

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