ESPN 98.1 FM – 850 AM WRUF ESPN 98.1 FM – 850 AM WRUF
The No. 1 Wake Forest Deamon Deacons and No. 5 LSU Tigers faced off Wednesday night, with a chance for Wake Forest to secure their spot in the finals. However, LSU brought the heat and momentum, defeating the Deamon Deacons 5-2.
Now, the two teams will match up again Thursday to determine who will be joining the Florida Gators in the Men’s College World Series Finals starting Saturday.
— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) June 22, 2023
Wednesday’s Game
The game started with Wake Forest taking an early lead by scoring two runs in the top of the second. LSU pitcher Javen Coleman struggled to find the strike zone, allowing Wake Forest to have an early advantage. Though, the Tigers came back immediately and tied the game in the bottom of the second.
In the third inning, Cade Beloso turned the tie into a lead for LSU with his three-run home run to right field. After the homer, no runs were scored by either team. The only way the Tigers were able to stay on top was through Jay Johnson’s ability to put the right pitcher in at the right time and the LSU bullpen stepped up.
https://twitter.com/NCAABaseball/status/1671712879446220801
Looking Ahead
Thursday’s game will be intense for several reasons. For starters, this will be the game that decides who will be moving on to the MCWS Finals. Another reason is the possible starting pitching matchup between LSU’s Paul Skenes and Wake Forest’s Rhett Lowder. Skenes and Lowder are both predicted to be first-rounders in the MLB draft. The pitchers are recovering after they both pitched well over 100 pitches in their opening games on Saturday. A full outing from the two is unknown, however, an appearance from both of them is likely in a game like this.
If either pitcher is in the game and moves on to the Finals, the pitcher will likely be unable to fully rest and recover for the championship series.
It'll be Paul Skenes and LSU vs. Rhett Lowder and Wake Forest on Thursday to see who will face Florida in the #MCWS Final.
The right-handed pitchers are two of the most highly touted in this year's upcoming MLB Draft. pic.twitter.com/t3qOYVpPAl
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) June 22, 2023
This will be the third matchup between the Tigers and Deamon Deacons in Omaha. The first game saw Wake Forest win 3-2, but LSU responded and avoided elimination with the 5-2 win Wednesday.
First pitch is at 7 p.m. to see which team punches their ticket to the Men’s College World Series Finals.
