LSU notched an 11th-inning walk-off victory against Wake Forest on Thursday night to advance to the 2023 Men's College World Series Finals against Florida, who had punched their ticket with a win over TCU on Wednesday. LSU third baseman Tommy White, one of the top power hitters in the country, launched a two-run shot with no outs in the bottom of the 11th to end things.
Observe:
Prior to White's home run, the story of the game was the pitching duel between the Tigers' Paul Skenes and the Demon Deacons' Rhett Lowder, two of the top arms in this year's draft class.
Skenes, widely regarded as the best pitcher on the board thanks to his power stuff and his impressive track record against SEC competition, threw eight shutout innings. He surrendered two hits and a walk but struck out nine of the 28 batters he faced. He threw 120 pitches, with 82 of them going for strikes.
Lowder, a potential top-15 pick himself, answered with his own collection of zeroes. He threw seven innings, striking out six and allowing three hits and two walks. He threw 88 pitches, 63 of them strikes.
In the top of the eighth inning, with runners on the corners and one out, the Demon Deacons attempted a squeeze bunt to plate the go-ahead run. LSU first baseman Tre Morgan dashed those dreams, making an impressive charging play that preserved the scoreless tie:
The Tigers and Demon Deacons feature four players who could be first-round picks this July: Skenes and Lowder, as well as LSU outfielder Dylan Crews (the favorite to go No. 1 overall) and Wake Forest third baseman Brock Wilken. LSU also has the aforementioned White, one of the heroes of Thursday's win, as well as a potential first-round pick in next summer's event.
LSU and Florida will now play a best-of-three series for the national championship. Game 1 will take place on Saturday night.
