The loss, ORU's first at home this season in 13 games, snapped the Golden Eagles' (17-5) 25-game home winning streak. South Alabama (10-12) won for the sixth time in its last eight games.

Simmons (4-2) was dominating start to finish, and got stronger once USA took the lead. He retired the game's last seven batters batters and didn't allow a hit after Scott Modeste's (Sacramento, Calif.) two-out single in the sixth.

The Golden Eagles took an early 2-0 lead against Simmons in the third. Grant Plumley (Lake Forest, Calif.) doubled in Brian Hanson (Kelseyville, Calif.) for a 1-0 lead, and Josh Lex (Elk Grove, Calif.) drove in Plumley with a single.

Quendon Montgomery trimmed the lead to 2-1 with a long solo home run in the top of the fourth. That scored held until the Jaguars broke through in the seventh, but ORU has several chances to put the game away before USA's rally.

In the fourth, the Golden Eagles put the first two runners on but Boomer Welles (Beverly Hills, Calif.) failed in a sacrifice attempt and struck out. Nate Griffin (Tulsa, Okla.) followed by grounding into a double play to end the inning.

Matt VanDerBosch (Hastings, Minn.) led off the fifth with a one-out triple high off the wall in rightfield. But Hanson and Plumley failed to drive him in and the threat went by the boards.

ORU was 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

Dennis Bigley (Lancaster, Texas) stifled the Jags through the first six innings, but South Alabama rallied with one out in the seventh. Five consecutive batters reached via base hit, with Guillermo Martinez and Adam Lind each delivering two-run singles to chase Bigley (4-1) from the game.

Bigley allowed all five runs on 10 hits, but did strike out seven and walked just one in seven innings. Matt Hancock (Okmulgee, Okla.) was impressive in relief, striking out five and walking one in two hitless innings.

Hanson and Modeste each had two hits to lead ORU offensively.

The Golden Eagles and Jaguars play a doubleheader at Noon on Satuday.

--ORU--