Baseball News: 5-13-2026
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Dudley Dent
May 13, 2026, 8:15:06 AM (yesterday) May 13
to Tiger Tracks
Auburn Baseball News: 5-13-2026
No. 4 Auburn falls at No. 24 Jacksonville State:
https://auburntigers.com/news/2026/05/12/no-4-auburn-falls-at-no-24-jacksonville-state
Auburn bats silenced in 4-1 loss to Jacksonville State:
https://247sports.com/college/auburn/article/auburn-fell-to-jacksonville-state-in-the-final-non-conference-game-of-the-regular-season-285103285/
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No. 4 Auburn falls at No. 24 Jacksonville State
No. 4 Auburn fell behind in the first inning and failed to make a comeback in a 4-1 loss at No. 24 Jacksonville State Tuesday night.
“We just didn’t do enough. I thought we were pretty lethargic offensively, but give those guys credit. They keep winning games and have done a good job all season,” head coach Butch Thompson said. “If you don’t bring your A game in one of the categories you could absolutely lose to the teams that we’re playing down the stretch.”
The game wrapped up an eight-game road trip during which the Tigers went 5-3 with a pair of top-10 series wins. Twelve of the Tiger’s last 15 games have been played on the road with the team going 8-4 during the stretch.
Marcel Kulik turned in a season-high 2.1 scoreless innings with three strikeouts to give the Tigers a chance at a comeback. However, trailing by three, the Tigers left two runners on base with nobody out in the seventh and grounded into an inning-ending double play with a runner on third in the eighth.
“I feel good. My stuff has been pretty good, and I’m really happy to have such a good defense behind me whenever I’m on the mound,” Kulik said. “It’s good. I can trust them to throw my stuff and let the people put it in play and they’ll make plays.”
One of seven programs in the country with 40 or more wins, Jacksonville State (41-11) wasted no time in getting on the scoreboard with a walk and two hits, including a two-out RBI single, in the first inning.
Auburn (35-16) threatened to answer with a pair of baserunners in scoring position in the second, but a called third strike ended the inning without damage.
Griffin Graves (2-1) retired the next seven batters he faced after allowing the run on a two-out single in the first, but Jacksonville State extended its lead to 4-0 on two walks, two hit batters, a hit, a sacrifice fly and a safety squeeze in the fourth. Three of Jacksonville State’s first four runs reached on free passes.
Gamecocks’ starter Ryan Geraghty held Auburn scoreless and to just two hits, both from Chris Rembert, in his first five innings of work. He retired the first two batters faced in the sixth before Bub Terrell’s two-out single ended Geraghty’s career-long outing.
Abe Chancellor and Kulik combined to hold Jacksonville State scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings, and Auburn got on the scoreboard with three straight singles to start the seventh. With two runners in scoring position and nobody out after a stolen base, Jacksonville State reliever Jud Files got back-to-back strikeouts and a groundout to minimize the damage.
The Tigers threatened again in the eighth as the first two reached on a hit-by-pitch and walk, but a flyout to right and double play ended the inning.
Garrett Brewer worked a clean bottom of the eighth, but the Tigers also went down in order in the ninth to end the game.
Auburn wraps up the regular season by hosting No. 5 Georgia (41-11, 21-6 SEC) Thursday through Saturday at Plainsman Park.
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Auburn bats silenced in 4-1 loss to Jacksonville State
By Jason Caldwell
For the second time this season the No. 4 Auburn Tigers (35-16) had no answer for Jacksonville State as the Gamecocks led from start to finish on Tuesday night at Rudy Abbott Field, taking a 4-1 win to sweep the regular season series from coach Butch Thompson's club. It was the 12th time in Auburn's 16 losses this season where the Tigers scored three or fewer runs.
They return to action beginning Thursday night at home against No. 5 Georgia in the final SEC series of the regular season.
"This is not what you want," Thompson said. "There are consequences to not getting results the rest of the way. As much as we've done good work, we've got to keep our head down and finish this week.
"Just couldn't produce enough offense and that's where they got us tonight. Offense didn't travel."
Part of the reason for that was the absence of sophomore catcher Chase Fralick. With a bruised heel, Fralick took batting practice before the game but was held out on Tuesday night. Thompson said they are hopeful he'll be ready to go this weekend vs. Georgia.
The story of the night was Jacksonville State starter Ryan Geraghty and Auburn's inability to hit with runners on base. Just 1-1 with a 6.37 ERA on the year, the right-hander shut down the Tigers for the second time this season. After throwing two scoreless innings in the first meeting, he kept Auburn off balance all night long. Entering Tuesday night's game having allowed 10 earned runs in his last three starts (7.2 total innings), he allowed just three hits and no runs in 5.1 innings to earn his second win of the season. He only struck out three Tigers, but was good enough to keep Auburn at bay.
At the plate, the Tigers were just 2-13 with runners on base and 1-7 with runners in scoring position. With a runner on third and less than two outs, Auburn was just 1-4 while JSU was 3-5. That was the difference on Tuesday night.
On the other side, Auburn starter Griffin Graves struggled with his control in two of his four innings and that was all the Gamecocks would need. In the bottom of the first, the lefty walked the leadoff man on four pitches before recovering to get a pair of strikeouts. With two outs, Graves allowed a single to put runners on first and second. Getting ahead of Brady Thomas 0-2, the Auburn starter grooved one down the middle that the left-hander sliced into left field to make it 1-0.
Settling in the next two innings, Graves kept the Gamecocks at bay until the bottom of the fourth. Meanwhile, Auburn's only real threat came in the top of the second inning. Leading off with one of his two hits on the night, Rembert was retired on an Ethin Bingaman ground ball for the first out. With Bingaman moving to second on a balk, a walk to Brandon McCraine put runners on first and second with two outs. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position, but Lucas Steele struck out looking to end the threat.
With the score still 1-0 in the bottom of the fourth, Graves and reliever Abe Chancellor decided to help out the Gamecocks even more. For the second time on the night, Graves walked the leadoff man on four pitches to give JSU some life.
"It's still a mixed bag," Thompson said of Graves outing. "I thought his breaking ball was better tonight than against UAB. His changeup was better. His breaking ball was better. I saw him throw some good fastballs at times. He retired seven in a row, but the two starts to those innings were just enough for a team that has won a bunch of ballgames to cash those in."
Following a single, a hit batter loaded the bases with nobody out for the home team. A sacrifice fly to right field scored a run to make it 2-0 Gamecocks and when Orlando Pena's bunt got down the first base line, the lead was three for JSU. Compounding things, Bingaman came home with the ball instead of taking the out. His throw underhand toss was off the mark, putting runners on the corners.
Things went from bad to worse with Chancellor in the game. He hit the next batter to load the bases once again before a walk forced home a run and a four-run lead for Jacksonville State. With the bases loaded and the Gamecocks threatening to break it open, Chancellor got a huge double play ball to end the inning but the damage was done.
It took until the seventh inning for Auburn's offense to show some life. Facing JSU reliever Jud Files, who entered the game with a sub 1.00 ERA, the Tigers got a leadoff single from Ethin Bingaman and when Eddie Madrigal followed with a single to center field, Auburn was in business.
A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position with nobody out for Brandon McCraine and his ground ball glanced off the glove of Files for an infield single. That put Auburn on the board and left runners on the corners with still nobody out. Stealing second base, McCraine's play put two runners in scoring position with nobody out. With a chance to get right back in the game, Auburn instead gave JSU the momentum with Steele and Bristol Carter both striking out before a Mason McCraine ground ball ended the inning.
The Tigers would again threaten in the top of the eighth, but couldn't take advantage of help from the Gamecocks. Guevara was hit by a pitch to open the inning and when Terrell walked, Auburn had first and second with nobody out. A Rembert fly ball put runners on the corners with one out, but a Bingaman ground ball started a 4-6-3 double play to end the frame and keep it 4-1 Jacksonville State. That's how things would finish.
No. 4 Auburn falls at No. 24 Jacksonville State:
https://auburntigers.com/news/2026/05/12/no-4-auburn-falls-at-no-24-jacksonville-state
Auburn bats silenced in 4-1 loss to Jacksonville State:
https://247sports.com/college/auburn/article/auburn-fell-to-jacksonville-state-in-the-final-non-conference-game-of-the-regular-season-285103285/
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No. 4 Auburn falls at No. 24 Jacksonville State
No. 4 Auburn fell behind in the first inning and failed to make a comeback in a 4-1 loss at No. 24 Jacksonville State Tuesday night.
“We just didn’t do enough. I thought we were pretty lethargic offensively, but give those guys credit. They keep winning games and have done a good job all season,” head coach Butch Thompson said. “If you don’t bring your A game in one of the categories you could absolutely lose to the teams that we’re playing down the stretch.”
The game wrapped up an eight-game road trip during which the Tigers went 5-3 with a pair of top-10 series wins. Twelve of the Tiger’s last 15 games have been played on the road with the team going 8-4 during the stretch.
Marcel Kulik turned in a season-high 2.1 scoreless innings with three strikeouts to give the Tigers a chance at a comeback. However, trailing by three, the Tigers left two runners on base with nobody out in the seventh and grounded into an inning-ending double play with a runner on third in the eighth.
“I feel good. My stuff has been pretty good, and I’m really happy to have such a good defense behind me whenever I’m on the mound,” Kulik said. “It’s good. I can trust them to throw my stuff and let the people put it in play and they’ll make plays.”
One of seven programs in the country with 40 or more wins, Jacksonville State (41-11) wasted no time in getting on the scoreboard with a walk and two hits, including a two-out RBI single, in the first inning.
Auburn (35-16) threatened to answer with a pair of baserunners in scoring position in the second, but a called third strike ended the inning without damage.
Griffin Graves (2-1) retired the next seven batters he faced after allowing the run on a two-out single in the first, but Jacksonville State extended its lead to 4-0 on two walks, two hit batters, a hit, a sacrifice fly and a safety squeeze in the fourth. Three of Jacksonville State’s first four runs reached on free passes.
Gamecocks’ starter Ryan Geraghty held Auburn scoreless and to just two hits, both from Chris Rembert, in his first five innings of work. He retired the first two batters faced in the sixth before Bub Terrell’s two-out single ended Geraghty’s career-long outing.
Abe Chancellor and Kulik combined to hold Jacksonville State scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings, and Auburn got on the scoreboard with three straight singles to start the seventh. With two runners in scoring position and nobody out after a stolen base, Jacksonville State reliever Jud Files got back-to-back strikeouts and a groundout to minimize the damage.
The Tigers threatened again in the eighth as the first two reached on a hit-by-pitch and walk, but a flyout to right and double play ended the inning.
Garrett Brewer worked a clean bottom of the eighth, but the Tigers also went down in order in the ninth to end the game.
Auburn wraps up the regular season by hosting No. 5 Georgia (41-11, 21-6 SEC) Thursday through Saturday at Plainsman Park.
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Auburn bats silenced in 4-1 loss to Jacksonville State
By Jason Caldwell
For the second time this season the No. 4 Auburn Tigers (35-16) had no answer for Jacksonville State as the Gamecocks led from start to finish on Tuesday night at Rudy Abbott Field, taking a 4-1 win to sweep the regular season series from coach Butch Thompson's club. It was the 12th time in Auburn's 16 losses this season where the Tigers scored three or fewer runs.
They return to action beginning Thursday night at home against No. 5 Georgia in the final SEC series of the regular season.
"This is not what you want," Thompson said. "There are consequences to not getting results the rest of the way. As much as we've done good work, we've got to keep our head down and finish this week.
"Just couldn't produce enough offense and that's where they got us tonight. Offense didn't travel."
Part of the reason for that was the absence of sophomore catcher Chase Fralick. With a bruised heel, Fralick took batting practice before the game but was held out on Tuesday night. Thompson said they are hopeful he'll be ready to go this weekend vs. Georgia.
The story of the night was Jacksonville State starter Ryan Geraghty and Auburn's inability to hit with runners on base. Just 1-1 with a 6.37 ERA on the year, the right-hander shut down the Tigers for the second time this season. After throwing two scoreless innings in the first meeting, he kept Auburn off balance all night long. Entering Tuesday night's game having allowed 10 earned runs in his last three starts (7.2 total innings), he allowed just three hits and no runs in 5.1 innings to earn his second win of the season. He only struck out three Tigers, but was good enough to keep Auburn at bay.
At the plate, the Tigers were just 2-13 with runners on base and 1-7 with runners in scoring position. With a runner on third and less than two outs, Auburn was just 1-4 while JSU was 3-5. That was the difference on Tuesday night.
On the other side, Auburn starter Griffin Graves struggled with his control in two of his four innings and that was all the Gamecocks would need. In the bottom of the first, the lefty walked the leadoff man on four pitches before recovering to get a pair of strikeouts. With two outs, Graves allowed a single to put runners on first and second. Getting ahead of Brady Thomas 0-2, the Auburn starter grooved one down the middle that the left-hander sliced into left field to make it 1-0.
Settling in the next two innings, Graves kept the Gamecocks at bay until the bottom of the fourth. Meanwhile, Auburn's only real threat came in the top of the second inning. Leading off with one of his two hits on the night, Rembert was retired on an Ethin Bingaman ground ball for the first out. With Bingaman moving to second on a balk, a walk to Brandon McCraine put runners on first and second with two outs. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position, but Lucas Steele struck out looking to end the threat.
With the score still 1-0 in the bottom of the fourth, Graves and reliever Abe Chancellor decided to help out the Gamecocks even more. For the second time on the night, Graves walked the leadoff man on four pitches to give JSU some life.
"It's still a mixed bag," Thompson said of Graves outing. "I thought his breaking ball was better tonight than against UAB. His changeup was better. His breaking ball was better. I saw him throw some good fastballs at times. He retired seven in a row, but the two starts to those innings were just enough for a team that has won a bunch of ballgames to cash those in."
Following a single, a hit batter loaded the bases with nobody out for the home team. A sacrifice fly to right field scored a run to make it 2-0 Gamecocks and when Orlando Pena's bunt got down the first base line, the lead was three for JSU. Compounding things, Bingaman came home with the ball instead of taking the out. His throw underhand toss was off the mark, putting runners on the corners.
Things went from bad to worse with Chancellor in the game. He hit the next batter to load the bases once again before a walk forced home a run and a four-run lead for Jacksonville State. With the bases loaded and the Gamecocks threatening to break it open, Chancellor got a huge double play ball to end the inning but the damage was done.
It took until the seventh inning for Auburn's offense to show some life. Facing JSU reliever Jud Files, who entered the game with a sub 1.00 ERA, the Tigers got a leadoff single from Ethin Bingaman and when Eddie Madrigal followed with a single to center field, Auburn was in business.
A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position with nobody out for Brandon McCraine and his ground ball glanced off the glove of Files for an infield single. That put Auburn on the board and left runners on the corners with still nobody out. Stealing second base, McCraine's play put two runners in scoring position with nobody out. With a chance to get right back in the game, Auburn instead gave JSU the momentum with Steele and Bristol Carter both striking out before a Mason McCraine ground ball ended the inning.
The Tigers would again threaten in the top of the eighth, but couldn't take advantage of help from the Gamecocks. Guevara was hit by a pitch to open the inning and when Terrell walked, Auburn had first and second with nobody out. A Rembert fly ball put runners on the corners with one out, but a Bingaman ground ball started a 4-6-3 double play to end the frame and keep it 4-1 Jacksonville State. That's how things would finish.
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