MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. - The No. 5-ranked Armstrong Atlantic State University baseball squad earned the 2012 Peach Belt Conference regular season championship with a split at Georgia College on Sunday afternoon at John Kurtz Field. The Pirates held off a ninth-inning rally for an 8-7 win in game one, while the Bobcats took game two, 5-2.

The Pirates (36-12, 20-10 PBC) finish one half game ahead of the Bobcats (29-19, 19-10) for the regular season league crown, which is the fourth for Armstrong in league history. The Pirates were also champions in 2003, matching this year's league record at 20-10, as well as first in the regular season in 1991 and 1992.

Georgia College plated an early first-inning run in game one on a fielder's choice RBI, but the Pirates' Richie Anderson gave the Pirates the lead in the fourth inning with a two-run single. The Bobcats tied the game in the bottom of the fourth on a Benton Yaun RBI groundout, then took a 4-2 lead on Jeremy Donaldson's two-run home run.

The Pirates answered back in the top of the sixth on a solo home run by Drew Walker, making the score 4-3. Armstrong took the lead for good with a five-run seventh inning, keyed by Anderson's three-run home run that put the Pirates ahead, 8-4.

Georgia College rallied in the ninth as five straight batters reached with nobody out - a Travis Echols two-run single and a Cody Maas RBI single brought the Bobcats to with one run, but Ethan Bader retired the next three batters in order with the tying run at second base to preserve the victory and earn Armstrong the league title.

Chandler Hall (8-2) picked up the win for the Pirates, scattering 14 hits and six runs in eight-plus innings of work, walking one while striking out four. Bader gave up two hits and a run but walked one and struck out one in one inning of work for his second save of the season.

Matt LaMothe (4-1) took the loss in relief for the Bobcats, giving up four hits and five runs - four earned - in 1 1/3 innings of work, walking two while striking out one.

Anderson paced the Pirates in game one with a 4-for-5 day with a season-high five RBIs, while Walker went 2-for-3 with three runs scored and two RBis. Echols led the Bobcats in game one with a 3-for-5 day with three RBIs.

Georgia College then scored runs in each of the third through sixth innings, erasing an early 2-0 Pirate lead for the 5-2 win in game two.

Casey Maloney doubled to lead off the game and an RBI groundout by Alex Frederick plated a first-inning run for the Pirates, then Will Thomas' RBI groundout in the third made it a 2-0 Pirate advantage.

Echols' RBI double in the third made it a 2-1 game, then Josh Young's RBI triple in the fourth tied the score at 2-2. A sacrifice fly by Clay Ardeeser in the fifth inning put the Bobcats up, 3-2, then two errors by the Pirates in the sixth added two insurance runs for Georgia College.

Matt Kaplan (1-1) picked up the game two win for the Bobcats, giving up five hits and two runs in eight innings of work, walking two while striking out six. Zack Hula hurled a shutout ninth for his sixth save of the season. Bader (10-4) took the loss for the Pirates, giving up nine hits and three runs in 4 2/3 innings of work, walking one while striking out four.