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AUBURN – All but one starter hit safely for the Jacksonville State baseball team in its season opener on Tuesday, but the Gamecocks couldn't overcome a hot start by Auburn and lost 9-4 at Plainsman Park.

The Gamecocks (0-1) rattled off 11 hits at the plate but couldn't quite claw back from an early six-run deficit that was sparked by a first inning grand slam from Auburn's Tony Caldwell. The Tigers (3-1) took advantage of three JSU errors to build the lead before giving up four in the fifth. They turned it over to Jon Luke Jacobs, who held JSU to just two hits over the final four and two-thirds innings.

“There were certainly some good things that came out of today,” JSU head coach Jim Case said. “We got off to the rocky start, but I was proud of our guys from the standpoint that we never panicked and we competed. Being opening day for us, obviously there were some jitters. We made three errors, and I don't think we will be a bad defensive team. We just have to make plays and keep from giving them any extra opportunities.”

Senior Jake Sharrock singled three times and walked to lead the Gamecock offensive attack, while junior Erik Underwood went 2-for-4 in his Gamecock debut. Junior Sam Eberle drove in a run, as did junior Ben Waldrip and freshman Michael Bishop.

Auburn got three hits from Creede Simpson, while Caldwell drove in four runs on his lone hit.

Junior Daniel Watts (0-1) suffered the loss for the Gamecocks after allowing six runs, four earned, on seven hits in three innings on the mound. He walked two and struck out three before giving way to junior Aaron Elias, who tossed four scoreless innings before Auburn got to him in the eighth. He ended up surrendering three runs on six hits.

Jacobs (1-0) earned the win in relief for the Tigers after holding the Gamecocks scoreless on two hits, while fanning six over the final 4.2 innings. Will Irvin started the game for Auburn but left after giving up four runs on nine hits in 4.1 innings or work.

Both teams threatened early, but Auburn was the one that made the most of its opportunity. After the Gamecocks left the bases loaded in the top of the first, Caldwell cleared the Tigers' bases loaded situation with a grand slam over the 30-foot wall in left.

The Tigers added another in the second on back-to-back two-out doubles from Casey McElroy and Simpson and one more in the third on a two-out throwing error by shortstop Andrew Bishop.

Trailing 6-0, the Gamecocks finally got on the board in the top of the fifth, thanks to a four-hit frame that plated four and cut the Tigers' lead to two. Sharrock started things off with a walk and four-straight hits followed. Eberle singled in Sharrock to set up back-to-back RBI doubles from Waldrip and Michael Bishop. Underwood then singled to set up a sacrifice fly from Stephen Bartlett that capped the inning.

After both starters struggled, the Tigers and Gamecocks turned to their bullpens, which didn't disappoint. Junior Aaron Elias entered the game in the fourth and held the Tigers at bay until the eighth, when Dan Gamache's two-run double dropped just inside the right field line and gave Auburn an 8-4 lead. They would get one more before junior Chase Smith got out of the eighth to lead by five heading into the final inning.

The Gamecocks will open their home schedule on Wednesday at 3 p.m., when they host Kennesaw State at Rudy Abbott Field.