For 6.1 innings Friday, Georgia’s Jonathan Cannon was as good as it gets.
The Bulldog junior had a perfect game until Cameron Benson’s single with one out in the top of the seventh broke up the gem, a game Georgia (5-0) went on to win, 1-0.
“I go out every single start and just have confidence,” Cannon said. “That’s just one of the keys to pitching. If you’re not confident, you’re not going to go very far. I just tried to keep my confidence all the way through, and my defense played an unbelievable game behind me.”
It was the second straight outstanding start for Cannon. After scattering just two hits in six innings during last week’s season-opener against Albany, Cannon went a career-best 8.1 innings, allowing just three hits with zero walks and five strikeouts.
“People know I throw a lot of strikes—that’s what my identity has become,” Cannon (2-0) said. “They’re going to swing early, and they’re going to put a of balls in play. That’s perfectly fine with me because, like I said, I’ve got one of the best defenses in the country behind me.”
Cannon was not kidding.
Thanks to a sterling play in the sixth by second baseman Cory Acton to rob Akron of what appeared to be its first hit, Cannon retired leadoff hitter Kaito Hara bringing Benson to be plate.
During the at-bat, Benson popped the ball up behind home plate. Unfortunately, catcher Fernando Gonzalez was unable to make the catch, with an error being ruled on the plate. It was the first of the sophomore’s career.
Two pitches later, Benson lined a clean single to left, breaking up the perfect game.
“It was the time of day with the twilight,” Stricklin said of the error. “That’s one of those things if he yells help, then maybe Jonathan Cannon comes in and makes the play. He (Gonzalez) was very angry with himself, and of course two pitches later, Benson gets the base hit. You knew it was going to happen.”
Cannon would leave the runner stranded before coming back out in the eighth, allowing a leadoff single to Jackson Haas.
After a wild pitch and sacrifice put a pinch-runner at third with one out, the Zips (1-3) appeared primed to tie the game. But Cannon had other ideas.
The right-hander got a big second out when he retired Jerry Reinhart on a pop up to first, before pitching coach Sean Kenny came out to speak to Cannon before facing eight-hole hitter Zac Granger.
Whatever Kenny said worked, as Cannon got Granger on a soft liner to Cole Tate at short, ending the threat and the inning.
Cannon would go out to start the ninth. He retired the first batter, but after giving up a single, he was pulled in favor of left-hander Collin Caldwell, who retired two of the three batters he faced for his third career save.
“Jonathan was really unbelievable. We’re really fortunate he’s on our staff,” Collins said. “How far he’s come—his pitching, his development has gone through the roof. It’s really great knowing that he’s going to go out there and give you 110 percent.”
Offensively, the Bulldogs had their struggles against a quartet of Akron pitchers.
Georgia managed just one run off the group on a season-low five hits, scoring its first and only run in the first inning on an RBI double by Corey Collins.
“We were pressing, trying too hard. I thought we were aggressive when we didn’t need to be aggressive, and we were passive when we needed to be aggressive,” Stricklin said. “You could see they were thinking too much, they were squeezing the bat too hard.”
This and that
… Georgia and Akron play a nine-inning double-header Saturday, beginning at 2. Liam Sullivan will start Game 1, with Garrett Brown getting the nod in Game 2. … It was announced Friday that Georgia’s March 22 game against Georgia State will take place at Coolray Field in Lawrenceville. … Collins’ RBI double in the first extended his hitting streak to 12 games going back to last year. … Saturday’s game was just 2:06 in duration. It was the quickest game in the SEC so far this year.
