JACKSONVILLE, Ala. (Interstat) — Ryan Geraghty pitched 5 2/3 innings of three-hit shutout ball and Jacksonville State defeated Auburn 4-1 on Tuesday night at Rudy Abbott Field.

Geraghty struck out three and did not allow an earned run, lowering his ERA significantly after a rough outing against Missouri State on May 1. The Gamecocks improved to 41-11, while the Tigers fell to 35-16.

Jacksonville State opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning. J. Pate walked, advanced to second on a single by G. Ashe and scored on a single through the left side by Brady Thomas. Thomas went 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Auburn tied the game in the second. C. Rembert singled, moved to second on a balk and later to third on a wild pitch, but was left stranded. The score remained 1-1 until the bottom of the fourth.

That inning proved decisive for the Gamecocks. G. Ashe walked and Thomas singled up the middle. After C. Blauser was hit by a pitch to load the bases, T. Majette flied out to right field for a sacrifice fly that scored Ashe. Orlando Peña then reached on a fielder’s choice bunt that scored Thomas. On the play, Blauser advanced to third. Peña stole second, and after L. Williams was hit by a pitch, J. Pate walked with the bases loaded to force in another run. The inning ended with a double play, but Jacksonville State led 4-1.

Auburn’s only run came in the top of the seventh. E. Bingaman singled and E. Madrigal singled, advancing Bingaman to second. After a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position, Brandon McCraine singled to the pitcher, driving in Bingaman. McCraine stole second, but the Tigers could not bring him home.

Relievers for both teams kept the game in check after the fourth. Marcel Kulik threw 2 1/3 hitless innings with three strikeouts for Auburn. Chase Horst pitched two perfect innings with two strikeouts for Jacksonville State, and Abe Chancellor and Garrett Brewer each contributed scoreless relief for the Tigers. Griffin Graves took the loss for Auburn after allowing four earned runs in 3 1/3 innings.

Each team collected six hits. Jud Files gave up three hits and one run in 1 1/3 innings for Jacksonville State.

The game was the second meeting between the schools this season. Jacksonville State won the first matchup 15-4 at Auburn on April 7.

Interstat’s game simulator projected a final score of Jacksonville State 7, Auburn 6. Interstat’s ELO system gave Auburn a 69.10 percent probability to win.