LSU baseball had its shot at the NCAA Tournament's overall top seed, but it came down to inches and a stunning play at home plate to decide a 3-2 Wake Forest victory.
It was virtually the same script for Wake Forest in both of its CWS games, coming from behind and taking a 3-2 lead in the 8th inning of each. LSU led 2-0 and had a shot to retake the lead in the top of the inning, with runners at first and third and no outs, but Tre' Morgan was thrown out at home on a stunning defensive play before a double play ended the threat.
“I think it’d be very easy to crawl in the hole with disappointment," Johnson said, relaying his message to his team after the game. "That was a great college baseball game that we came up on the short end of the stick. ... They got an RBI hit there in the 8th, and we didn’t when we got our one chance right there. That can be deflating."
Johnson said he shared with his team a pair of facts before they dispersed. He's been here before, with his Arizona squad crawling out of the loser's bracket to land in a championship series. Another team that's done it? LSU in 2017. It can be done, and he fully expects his squad to do it.
"I have all the faith in the world in our team that we can do that, so let’s stick to what we do," Johnson said, "and if we do that well then we’ll be in a good spot.”
LSU starter Ty Floyd was virtually untouchable over the first five innings, allowing just two hits and striking out 10, but three consecutive walks to begin the 6th inning set up a brutal jam as Floyd was pulled from the game. Thatcher Hurd took over and allowed a Brock Wilken liner up the middle to plate Wake Forest's first run. Jordan Thompson fielded another ball up the middle and turned a double play, but the tying run came around. Hurd hit a batter, then allowed a walk to load the bases, but he locked in and struck out Adam Cecere to end the inning.
The biggest issue for LSU came with walks. After allowing just one over the first five innings, Floyd and Hurd combined to walk six Wake Forest batters in the 6th and 7th. Hurd benefitted from a failed sacrifice bunt attempt from Hawke that was popped up to a charging White, and got out of another jam with a strikeout of Wilken.
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Hurd's magic ran out in the 8th, with DH Danny Corona doubling down the right field line, then scoring on a Bennett Lee single to left field. Lee, a transfer from Tulane this season, played as big a role as any in the result on both offense and defense. Hurd's final line was 3 innings, 3 hits, 3 strikeouts and one earned run allowed.
“We were trying to win tonight with our best two guys that we had available," Johnson said, "and they both pitched fantastic.”
LSU got its opening salvo of runs in the third inning, and used the glaring sun to their advantage. Josh Pearson walked, then stole second to set up a Tommy White RBI single. White moved into scoring position when the ball sneaked past Tommy Hawke in centerfield. Tre' Morgan was next, and hit a soft liner out to left field that Cecere lost in the sun as it flew over his head, with Morgan landing on third base.
Wake Forest starter Josh Hartle settled in well and didn't allow another run over his six innings, scattering 4 hits and striking out 9 batters.
LSU's offense was stifled and didn't mount many real scoring threats until the top of the 8th with Morgan lining a double to the right field wall off of Demon Deacons reliever Michael Massey. Hayden Travinski reached on an error after a slow roller up the middle was misplayed by Justin Johnson at second base, moving Morgan to third with no outs. Morgan was thrown out at home on a Beloso grounder up the third base line with Wilken double-clutching, then delivering a bouncing ball to the catcher, narrowly missing Morgan as he slid into home. Lee picked the ball and got the tag down just before LSU's first baseman could touch home plate. Lee is in his first season with Wake after playing two seasons with Tulane in New Orleans.
The call was challenged and confirmed after a lengthy review.
Wake Forest made a pitching change to Camden Minacci, who promptly hit into a double-play to end the threat and deflate a golden opportunity to take control. Johnson wouldn't second-guess the decision to send the runner on contact.
“You have to send the runner there so we stay out of the double play, and it’s a heck of a play by Wilkin. I mean if it skips, if he throws it and it bounces off Tre’, we’re ahead 3-2 and we probably have runners on second and third," Johnson said. "So, again, in championship environments, as we said in our game on Saturday, your dudes have to be dudes, and [Wilkin] was a dude on that tonight.”
The 2-2 tie was broken by Wake in the bottom of the 8th inning, with LSU's last opportunity coming against Minacci, who opened the 9th with strikeouts of Brayden Jobert and Jordan Thompson, then got Pearson out on a ball bounced back to the pitcher.
The loss means LSU will get a rematch against Tennessee Tuesday in a loser's bracket elimination game. Tennessee defeated Stanford 6-4, rallying from a 4-run deficit themselves, earlier in the day. The winner will get the right to face off with Wake Forest, who will get two chances to punch a ticket to the championship series. LSU won their opener at the CWS 6-3 over Tennessee to send the Vols into the loser's bracket.
In LSU's third game of the Baton Rouge regional, Jay Johnson handed the ball to Riley Cooper as the opener. He wasn't about to tip his hand early on the plan for the Vols.
“We have nine guys available to pitch tomorrow, and we’ll choose one of them, and he’ll get guys out for as long as he can," Johnson said, "and then we’ll go to the next guy, and then we’ll go to the next guy, and then we’ll go to the next guy, and then we’ll go to the next guy until we figure out how to get 27 outs against a really good team.”
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