ANDERSON, S.C. - The visiting Tusculum Pioneers snapped a scoreless tie in the first extra inning to escape with a 7-4 10-inning win past Anderson in South Atlantic Conference baseball action Friday night at Anderson Memorial Stadium.

With the setback, Anderson slipped to 5-13 overall and 1-6 in conference action, while league-leading Tusculum improved to 16-1 overall and 7-0 in the conference.

Anderson junior hurler TJ Estes scattered nine hits, while tossing nine complete innings. The right-hander struck out four and issued two walks, while giving up four runs and did not figure in the decision despite the sterling effort. Senior Riley McDermott absorbed the loss, surrendering three runs off three hits in an inning of relief.

Senior shortstop Thomas Padro led the Trojans offensively, going 2-for-4 with a pair of singles and also scored a run and recorded an RBI.

The opening contest of a three-game weekend series saw the 12th-ranked Pioneers score solo runs in the first and third innings to jump out to a 2-0 lead, but the Trojans rallied to claim a one-run lead with three runs in the bottom of the third. Right-fielder Ryan Kirkland led off the inning with a single up the middle and Padro followed with another single through the left side. Both runners moved up a base when Brett Cash laid down a sacrifice bunt and both crossed the plate on a pair of errors by the Tusculum defense, knotting the score at 2-2.

Senior Blake May then came through with a one-out single up the middle to plate Zach Reeves with the go-ahead run.

Tusculum evened the score with yet another solo run in the sixth and took a brief 4-3 edge with a run in the top of the ninth, but the Trojans evened the score with a run in the bottom of the frame and nearly won the contest, with the winning run thrown out at the plate.

Sophomore left fielder Paul Como led off the inning with a double to center, putting the game-tying run at second. Sophomore Shawn Delmontagne followed with as walk and both moved up a base on Kirkland's sacrifice bunt to the right side. Padro followed with a single to plate Come and knot the score at 4-4, but Delmontagne was thrown out at the plate attempting to score the winning run.
Tusculum responded with three runs in the top of the 10th inning and the Trojans were retired in order in the bottom of the inning.

Anderson and Tusculum will wrap up their three-game series with a Saturday afternoon doubleheader, scheduled for 1 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.