KODAK, Tenn. -- Senior left-hander Placido Torres tossed a complete-game four-hitter to lead the three-seeded Tusculum Pioneers (33-15) to a 3-0 win over the four-seeded Railsplitters (29-19) on day one of the 2016 Pilot/Flying J South Atlantic Conference Baseball Championship at Smokies Stadium in Kodak, Tennessee.
 
With the loss, Lincoln Memorial will have to defeat top-seeded Catawba on Saturday at 3:45 to avoid elimination. Tusculum, meanwhile, moves on to face Carson-Newman at 7 p.m.
 
In a showdown between Tusculum's SAC Pitcher of the Year and Lincoln Memorial's SAC Freshman of the Year Ethan Elliott (Knoxville, Tenn.), Torres lived up to his billing as one of the premier arms in the country, chucking a complete-game shutout that saw him retire 17 of the last 18 batters he faced. Torres allowed just four hits and struck out nine over his 138-pitch start to run his season record to 10-0.
 
Elliott battled tough, but was saddled with his first loss since March 19 after allowing nine hits and three runs over 7 2/3 innings of work. The loss snapped a streak of five straight winning appearances by Elliott and denied the left-hander a chance to tie LMU's single-season record for wins.
 
Eric Kalman (Brooklyn, N.Y.) recorded three of the Railsplitters' four hits in the game, going 3 for 4 with a double. Kalman's two-out, ninth-inning double snapped a string of 17 straight batters retired by Torres. Logan Augustine (Urbandale, Iowa) tallied LMU's only other hit with a first-inning single.
 
The Railsplitters had an opportunity to muster some early offense against Torres, who entered Friday night's match-up ranked third in the nation in earned run average, in the top of the first, as Augustine and Kalman singled in back-to-back at-bats with two outs. However, a hard-hit groundout from Wes Neiderland (Thompson Station, Tenn.) ended the inning.
 
Tusculum sparked a similar rally in the home half of the first, but the Pioneers were able to turn the chance into runs. After two quick flyouts, Creighton Wilke singled on a dribbler down the third-base line and Kevin Victoriano dropped a single just out of the reach of right fielder Danny Valdez (Orlando, Fla.). With the pieces in place, Nick Lacina then belted a double down the right-field line to score both runners and give the Pioneers an early 2-0 edge.
 
The Railsplitters wouldn't produce another hit off of Torres until Kalman led off the fourth with a single. Lincoln Memorial would go quietly in that inning as well, though, as the next three batters went down in order via a foul out, a fielder's choice and strikeout.
 
Tusculum then added to its lead in the home half of the fourth, as Lacina led off with a single, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a two-out, bloop single by Jim Tolle.
 
That three-run cushion would be more than enough for Torres. After Kalman's lead-off single in the fourth, the Railsplitters wouldn't produce another baserunner until Kalman snuck a two-out double past the Tusculum centerfielder in the top of the ninth. Torres ended the game in the very next at-bat with a strikeout.
 
Wilke and Lacina led the Pioneers offensively with two hits apiece.
 
The Railsplitters will look to avoid elimination on Saturday at 3:45 p.m., when they face the top-seeded Catawba Indians back at Smokies Stadium. Live stats and video links will be available for that contest at www.LMURailsplitters.com.