MILLEDGEVILLE, GA – Sophomore lefty Lee Tabor tossed his first career complete game while striking out 10 to lead Francis Marion University to a 7-3 win over 18th-ranked Georgia College & State University and a split of a Saturday afternoon Peach Belt Conference doubleheader.  The Patriots (5-1, 1-1) suffered their first loss of 2005 as they dropped game one by a 7-5 score.

In game two, the Bobcats (2-3, 1-1) took an early 3-2 lead on a three-run home run by John Caruso in the bottom of the first.  The Patriots tied the game at 3-3 in the fifth inning on an RBI-single by Michael Ward. The game remained tied through the seventh inning, forcing extra innings.

In the top of the ninth frame, FMU put four runs on the board with four consecutive hits off of GC&SU reliever Matt Marchant.  Ward drilled a two-run double, while Luke Ogletree and Stan Markle contributed RBI singles.

Tabor (1-0) gave up only five hits.  Travis Spell (0-2) was tagged with the loss.

Ogletree and Ward both had three hits for the Patriots, while Quentin Davis was two-for-four.

Caruso went two-for-three with all three of the Bobcats’ RBIs.

In game one, Spell tossed four innings of one-hit shutout relief to earn a save and help GC&SU starter Matt Goyen (1-0) earn his first victory of the season.  The Bobcats jumped out to an early 6-1 lead, knocking out FMU starter Chas Dobes (1-1), but Francis Marion battled back with four runs in the fifth inning.  The rally was highlighted by a three-run double from Davis that cut the deficit to a single run at 6-5. GC&SU’s Nick Trainor gave the Bobcats an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth with a solo home run, his second of the day.

Jason Weaver and Danny Mattonelli each had one hit and one RBI for FMU in the opener.  GC&SU's Trainor finished two-for-three the two home runs and three RBIs, while Chris Burrill went three-for-four with two RBIs, and Mike DeVeaux went two-for-three with an RBI-triple.

Goyen allowed five runs, four earned runs, on five hits with four strikeouts in five complete innings, while Spell fanned four without allowing a walk in his four innings. Dobes allowed six runs on five hits in 2.1 innings.

The Bobcats and Patriots close out their three-game PBC series Sunday at 1 p.m. at Kurtz Field.