Georgia Baseball gets first impressive victory of the 2022 season

Great pitching and timely home runs helped Georgia baseball get off to a fantastic start in 2022 at Foley Field in Athens.

The Diamond Dawgs took game one of their opening series against the Albany (NY) Great Danes by a final score of 4-2.

After starting the season ranked No.14 in college baseball, the Dawgs flexed their muscles on opening day. With a couple of preseason All-SEC players, the Dawgs gave fans something to cheer about with this win since the national championship.

Georgia baseball opened its season with an impressive opening day victory.

Prior to the start of the game, Georgia Bulldogs’ starting quarterback Stetson Bennett threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Bennett was actually a great baseball player at Pierce County, where he won Class 3A Player of the Year during his senior season.

The game got off to a great start in the first inning. Starting pitcher Johnathan Cannon pitched a 1-2-3 inning to start his day, setting the tone for what the Albany lineup would see from him. In the bottom of the first, Georgia center fielder Ben Anderson hit a lead-off home run off of Albany starter Ray Weber to give the Dawgs an early 1-0 lead.

Cannon pitched around some trouble in the second inning to induce a double play, the first of three double plays he would get the Great Danes to ground into on the day. He pitched six shutout innings, allowed two hits, and struck out four batters.

In the fourth inning, senior third baseman Josh McCallister ripped a two-run homer to left-center field to extend Georgia’s lead to 3-0.

Sadly, McCallister would suffer a leg injury in the bottom of the eighth inning after an at-bat. He had to be helped off the field and did not put any pressure on his leg when exiting the game. After the game, reports suggested it was just a cramp and that he is day-to-day.

Albany would put some base runners on in the seventh inning, but sophomore pitcher Jaiden Woods worked his way out of the jam to maintain the Georgia lead. The Great Danes would plate their first runs of the game in the eight inning from shortstop Brad Malm. The hard-throwing Woods finished with four strikeouts in just two innings despite giving up two runs.

Florida transfer Corey Acton had a great first game as a Bulldog, going 2-for-4 with an RBI in the seventh inning.

Overall, it was a solid win for this Georgia team. The pitchers made plays when they needed to and the hitters came up with some key runs to keep the game out of Albany’s reach.

The Bulldogs and Great Danes will play tomorrow at 3pm and Sunday at 1pm to wrap up the series.