GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Placido Torres recorded 12 strikeouts while tossing a two-hit shutout in Tusculum College's 4-0 South Atlantic Conference victory over Anderson University Friday night at Pioneer Park.

Torres (4-2) retired 19 of the first 20 batters and carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning.

Anderson starter Spencer Earle stymied the Pioneers early, holding the home team scoreless through four innings, while allowing just two hits.

Tusculum broke through in the fifth inning with a two-out rally. Andrew Bowerman drew a walk and moved to second on a wild pitch. Jeremiah Tullidge drove in the first run of the game with his double down the left field line to score Bowerman. Tulldige would cross the plate himself on Jim Tolle's two-out single to left field and a 2-0 Tusculum lead.

The Pioneers added another run in the sixth when Jalen Shuffler tripled to the gap in right field and came into score on Scott Gibson's line-out to center field. For Shuffler, it was team-leading fourth triple of the season.

With the TC leading 3-0 in the top of the seventh, AU's Steven Cooper broke up Torres' no-hit bid with his one-out flare single down the left line. Torres got a fly out by Anderson's top-hitter LJ Newman for the second out of the inning. Brett Cash responded with a two-out single to bring the tying run to the plate in Travis Smith. During Smith's at-bat, Torres was called for a balk, moving the runners to second and third. But Torres composed himself and struck out Smith to end the inning.

In the bottom of the seventh, Bowerman reached on a one-out single and moved to third base on Tullidge's second hit of the night. Tolle recorded his second RBI of the game thanks to his sacrifice fly out and a 4-0 Tusculum advantage.

Torres retired the sides in order in the eighth and ninth innings, while adding three more strikeouts to his ledger and posted his first complete game in a Tusculum uniform.

During his 99-pitch performance, Torres did not walk a batter and got to ball-3 in the count on only two occasions in the 30 batters he would face in the contest. His 12-strikeout performance matches the season-high dozen he posted against Wingate University on Mar. 7.

Tolle's 2-for-3 performance extends his hitting streak to 16 consecutive games, while Tullidge and Chris Waylock also accounted for multiple-hit performances.

The two teams will wrap up the three-game weekend series with Saturday's 1 p.m. doubleheader.

- TC -