Special to the News
AU Media Relations

MOBILE — Auburn had its 14-game non-conference winning streak snapped Tuesday night at South Alabama, mustering just six hits in a 5-2 loss.

“We didn’t compete. You don’t have to have base hits, but fighting off pitches and giving us quality at bats and we just didn’t have many of those today,” Auburn head coach John Pawlowski said. “We weren’t able to build any innings, we weren’t able to get leadoff guys on and we hit a lot of fly balls. The offense has to be creative and if we don’t hit the home runs it makes it very difficult.”

Chris LaGrow (1-0) earned the win for South Alabama, working into the fifth in a designated split start and allowing just two runs on four hits.

David Doss staked South Alabama (15-19) to a 1-0 lead in the first when he singled home Adam Heisler, who had hit a two-out double past a diving Hunter Morris and down the right-field line.

Doss’ two-out double to right-center made it a 2-0 South Alabama lead in the third, scoring Zach Grichor from first, who had singled to
left with one out in the inning.

Doss finished the night 2-for-4 with two RBI, while Grichor was 3-for-4 with a run and a RBI.

South Alabama scored three more times in the fourth to knock Auburn starter Dexter Price out of the game after 3 2/3
innings.

South Alabama used a Derek O’Reilly RBI single and a Clint Reynolds sac fly to center to chase Price, who left after allowing seven hits and two walks while only recording one strikeout, departing with a man on second.

With Scott Shuman on the mound in relief of Price, Grichor greeted him with a single up the middle to score O’Reilly to make it 5-0 as Price was charged for five runs in his third-shortest outing of the season.

Auburn’s only scoring inning came in the fifth as it knocked LaGrow from the mound after the junior lefty had allowed four hits and two walks while also recording just one strikeout.

Though neither run scored while LaGrow was on the mound, reliever D.D. Hanks was unable to keep Auburn off the board, entering with the bases loaded and just one out.

A Trent Mummey fielder’s choice scored Casey McElroy from third for Auburn’s first run before a Joseph Sanders RBI single plated Chezz McCann, who had walked earlier in the inning.

The RBI was the 50th of the season for Sanders, who needs just two more to equal his team-leading total of 52 from 2008.

Shuman threw the second-longest relief outing of his career, throwing four scoreless innings to keep Auburn within striking
distance.

In four innings, he allowed five base runners on four hits and a walk while striking out three.

Auburn falls to 23-13 on the year.

The two teams will play the second half of the home-and-home at 6 p.m. today at Plainsman Park.

All tickets to the game are just $2, and tickets purchased for the originally scheduled April 14 game between the two teams will be honored.