STATESBORO — Seventh-ranked Georgia posted a 5-2 win over Georgia Southern Tuesday at Jack Stallings Field.
Bulldog sophomore right-hander Jonathan Cannon made his season debut and tossed a scheduled two innings for the victory. A third-team preseason All-America selection, Cannon missed the first part of the year while recovering from mononucleosis. It marked the first start by a Bulldog right-hander this season after 12 straight by a southpaw.
“It was great to see Jonathan (Cannon) back on the mound,” said Georgia’s Ike Cousins head baseball coach Scott Stricklin. “He gave us two scoreless innings and looked good. It’s a big boost to our team to get him, Ryan Webb and Michael Polk back. Charlie (Goldstein) came in after Jonathan and did a nice job as did our bullpen. Offensively, I thought we grinded it out and found ways to score. We had good at-bats and managed to increase our lead when we got the chance.”
Georgia (10-3) took a 1-0 lead on an RBI-single by Corey Collins (3-for-5, 2 RBI), scoring Ben Anderson (3-for-5) who started the game off with a base hit. Collins notched his second RBI-single in the third and Riley King added another to make it 3-0 Bulldogs. Freshman left-hander Charlie Goldstein started the third, and the Eagles loaded the bases and came up empty. GSU cut it to 3-1 in the fourth on an RBI-groundout by Jarrett Brown. Georgia got the run back in the fifth as Collins doubled and scored on a groundout by Garrett Blaylock for a 4-1 lead. Kameron Guidry’s RBI-single made it 5-1 in the sixth. The Eagles (6-6) got a run in the ninth for the final.
Goldstein provided four innings and allowed one run on four hits. Darryn Pasqua, Collin Caldwell and Will Pearson combined to take care of the final three frames. GSU starter Jordan Jackson dropped to 1-3, allowing four runs on nine hits.
Georgia opens a three-game series Friday at Foley Field against Lipscomb. First pitch is scheduled for 5:02 p.m., and the game will be available on SEC Network+ and the Georgia Bulldog Sports Network.
