By Phil Stanton
CBI Co-Founder/Editor
OMAHA, Neb. – There were clutch performances by multiple Tigers on Wednesday evening.
Griffin Herring recorded season highs with 4.2 scoreless innings and six strikeouts, while Cade Beloso belted a three-run homer to break a 2-2 tie in a four-run third, as No. 5 LSU defeated No. 1 Wake Forest 5-2 in the 2023 College World Series to extend its season.
The Tigers (51-16) and the Demon Deacons (54-11) will meet on Thursday, June 22 at 6 p.m. The winner advances to face No. 2 Florida in the CWS Championship Series.
“Great performance tonight by our team,” LSU head coach Jay Johnson said. “Thought it was a great team win. Had a little bit of adversity early in the game there and really responded offensively.”
WFU stranded two in the top of the first before LSU went down in order in the bottom of the frame.
The Deacons started the scoring in the second. Pierce Bennett (2 for 4) had a leadoff single. With one away, Bennett Lee and Marek Houston drew walks to load the bases. Tommy Hawke (3 for 5) delivered a two-run single to put WFU up 2-0. A fielder’s choice put runners on the corners before Herring came in and struck out Nick Kurtz to halt the threat.
The Tigers got one back in the bottom of the second. Beloso walked with one away, went to second on a wild pitch and scored on a double by Brayden Jobert as LSU trailed 2-1.
Herring set the Deacons down in order in the top of the third before the Tigers took the lead in the bottom of third. Dylan Crews had a leadoff walk and went to second on a one-out single by Tre’ Morgan. Gavin Dugas walked to load the bases before all three runners advanced on a wild pitch. Crews came home to level the score at 2-2.
The count was 2-0 on Beloso when he blasted a homer to right to give the Tigers a 5-2 edge.
“I was just trying to hit a fly ball to center field,” Beloso said, “stay out of the double play. Once that passed ball happened, kind of changed my mindset a little bit. I got a changeup at my thigh and put a good swing on it, and it went over the fence.”
WFU head coach Tom Walter didn’t want to give Beloso that opportunity.
“I had a chance to walk Beloso there with a 2-0 count,” Walter said. “I wanted to do it. I was in between. I should have pulled the trigger on an intentional walk there and loaded the bases for Thompson. I regret he threw the changeup. Seth [Keener] threw a 2-0 changeup that he just elevated, and Beloso didn’t miss it. He’s a good hitter. Should have walked him in that situation and it would have been a totally different game had I done that, put a little more pressure on them.”
Herring (5-2) gave up three hits and walked one. WFU had leadoff singles in the fifth, sixth and seventh but none scored.
“I would say my baseball was probably my main pitch tonight,” Herring said. “Had good run to it, sank a little bit sometimes. Sometimes it rode. Slider got working towards the end.”
Gavin Guidry entered with runners on the corners and one away in the seventh. He struck out Brock Wilken looking and Justin Johnson swinging to strand two more.
Lee and Houston had consecutive singles with two away in the eighth. Riley Cooper came in from the bullpen and got Hawke to line out to third and squelch the rally.
Lucas Costello drew a leadoff walk in the ninth before Cooper struck out Kurtz and Wilken looking and got Johnson to ground out to third to end the contest.
“He just makes things uncomfortable as a hitter,” Beloso said of Cooper. “He can throw any pitch on any count for a strike whenever he wants to. In college baseball, it’s pretty hard to do. He throws 90 to 93 miles an hour from the left side, which that’s pretty good. He never really gets out of control. He’s always going to compete.”
Cooper recorded his second save in as many days and his third at the College World Series.
“Really proud of the pitching staff,” Johnson said. “Everybody contributed tonight. What a performance by Griffin to strike out Kurtz, to limit the damage there. And then really settled into the game and got us the length that we needed. And then Gavin came in and executed incredibly well. And Riley finished off another one.”
WFU went 2 for 19 with runners on base and stranded 12.
The Deacons used just two pitchers. Keener went 4.1 innings with four hits, five runs, four walks and four strikeouts. Sean Sullivan worked 3.2 scoreless innings with two hits, two walks and three strikeouts.