Wednesday, June 21
Omaha, Nebraska
7:00 PM
Wake Forest University
54-11
2
vs
5
No. 5 LSU
51-16
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Wake Forest
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
7
1
LSU
0
1
4
0
0
0
0
0
X
5
6
0
No. 1 Demon Deacons Drop Contest to No. 5 LSU, 5-2
6/21/2023 11:19:00 PM | Baseball
The top-seeded Wake Forest baseball team will play in the winner-take-all game Thursday night at the Men’s College World Series. The Demon Deacons will face LSU for the third time this week with the game scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
OMAHA, Neb. – In a game that was back-and-forth early on, the No. 1 Wake Forest baseball team dropped their first game of the Men's College World Series Wednesday night to No. 5 LSU, 5-2, at Charles Schwab Field Omaha.
The top-seeded Deacs will play in the winner-take-all game Thursday night, facing LSU for the third time this week with the game scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
The Demon Deacons were led offensively by a quick start offensively, scoring first with the help of a Tommy Hawke single up the middle that plated two runs.
Along with the two RBIs, he finished the game with a team-high three hits in the game and nearly had a fourth in the top of the eighth. Pierce Bennett added two base hits of his own and leads the team with five hits during the three games of the Men's College World Series.
On the mound, Sean Sullivan came in and settled the game, allowing just two hits and no runs over the final 3.2 innings of the game. He tallied three strikeouts in the game on 56 total pitches to move into seventh on the single-season strikeout list in program history:
Overall for the game, the Demon Deacons pitching staff recorded seven strikeouts, moving into third NCAA history for the most strikeouts in a single-season:
How It Happened
"Obviously a disappointing loss, but we'll come out ready to play tomorrow like we've done all year. We've responded to adversity all year. Tomorrow will be no different. Sullivan threw the ball well, kind of quieted the game down, kind of kept us in it, gave us chances. We had people on base all day. We were 2-for-17 with runners on base today. That's going to be hard pressed to win a game with those kind of numbers with people on base. I had a chance to walk Beloso there with a 2-0 count. 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 throwing a changeup. Seth threw a 2-0 changeup that he just elevated, and Beloso didn't miss it. He's a good hitter. I 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. But we have to come out tomorrow and play good baseball."
Wake Forest Side of the Men's College World Series Bracket
This is the Deacs' third ever Men's College World Series appearance, and its first since capturing the program's first national championship in 1955.
After breaking the program record for wins in its opening game of the Winston-Salem NCAA Regional against George Mason on June 2, Wake Forest has broken the program record for regular season wins, ACC wins, ACC series wins and overall wins this season. Additionally, the Deacs became the first team in Wake Forest history to have 50 or more wins in a single season in the NCAA Regional Final on June 4.
Wake Forest Baseball 40-Win Seasons
Wake Forest Fastest to 40 Wins
With the loss, the No. 1 Wake Forest baseball team will play in the winner-take-all game Thursday night at the Men's College World Series. The Demon Deacons will face LSU for the third time this week with the game scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
The Deacs are making the program's third ever Men's College World Series appearance, and its first since capturing the program's first national championship in 1955.
Stay tuned to Wake Forest's social media accounts (@WakeBaseball) for the latest scheduling updates and information.
Follow The Deacs:
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
The top-seeded Deacs will play in the winner-take-all game Thursday night, facing LSU for the third time this week with the game scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
The Demon Deacons were led offensively by a quick start offensively, scoring first with the help of a Tommy Hawke single up the middle that plated two runs.
Along with the two RBIs, he finished the game with a team-high three hits in the game and nearly had a fourth in the top of the eighth. Pierce Bennett added two base hits of his own and leads the team with five hits during the three games of the Men's College World Series.
On the mound, Sean Sullivan came in and settled the game, allowing just two hits and no runs over the final 3.2 innings of the game. He tallied three strikeouts in the game on 56 total pitches to move into seventh on the single-season strikeout list in program history:
- Wake Forest Single Season Strikeouts
- 1. Josh Hartle 2023 140
- 2. Mike Buddie 1992 138
- 3. Rhett Lowder 2023 137
- 4. Griffin Roberts 2018 130
- 5. Mike MacDougal 1999 117
- 6. Kyle Sleeth 2002 113
- 7. Sean Sullivan 2023 111
- 8. Parker Dunshee 2017 111
- John Hendricks 1998 111
- 10. Mark Seaver 1996 109
Overall for the game, the Demon Deacons pitching staff recorded seven strikeouts, moving into third NCAA history for the most strikeouts in a single-season:
- Mississippi St. 2021 68 603.2 817
- Vanderbilt 2021 67 598.0 790
- Wake Forest 2023 65 571.2 768
- Ole Miss 2021 67 586.1 765
- Vanderbilt 2019 71 633.2 765
- Southern Miss. 2022 66 596.1 746
- Arizona St. 1972 72 625.0 732
- Mississippi St. 2019 67 600.0 718
- Florida St. 1986 74 637.0 718
How It Happened
- Nick Kurtz worked from behind in the count, coaxing a walk out of a full count in the first.
- Brock Wilken followed that up with a four-pitch walk to put two on with two outs.
- This forced an early mound visit from the LSU coaching staff.
- The Demon Deacons forced the Tigers' starter to throw 25 pitches in the opening inning.
- Brock Wilken followed that up with a four-pitch walk to put two on with two outs.
- In his first start since the Winston-Salem Regional opening game against George Mason, Seth Keener got a quick groundout to start his first inning.
- He followed that up with a three-pitch strikeout against the second hitter.
- A foul out to Wilken behind the bag finished the inning, 1-2-3.
- Pierce Bennett collected his team-leading third hit of the Men's College World Series to open up the second.
- Bennett Lee put two on with one out after getting walked on four-straight pitches.
- Marek Houston loaded the bases on a five-pitch walk with the top of the order up.
- This forced the second mound visit and a pitching change for LSU.
- Hawke singled up the middle, scoring Bennett and Lee to give the Deacs the first lead of the game.
- After Houston moved up to third on a fielder's choice groundout, the Tigers' made another move to the bullpen, their second change of the inning.
- With a 2-0 lead going into the bottom of the second, Keener got a flyout to right, retiring the first batter of the inning.
- A popup to Kurtz in foul territory registered the second out of the inning.
- After an RBI-double got LSU on the scoreboard, Keener induced a groundout to first to get the Deacs out of the inning.
- Still with the Deacs up 2-1 in the bottom of the third, Keener got a flyout to center for the first out of the inning.
- A groundout to Wilken got the second out of the inning.
- Johnson ranged into the outfield as a popup ended the inning.
- Trailing 5-2 in the bottom of the fourth, Keener came back out for his fourth inning of work.
- Keener fanned the first batter on three pitches.
- He got his second strikeout of the inning on a 3-2 fastball.
- Keener struckout the side in order, punching out the Tigers' leadoff hitter on four pitches with the last a fastball on the outside edge to get him looking.
- In the top of the fifth and the top of the order due up, Hawke picked up his second single of the game, bouncing off the pitcher's glove and falling in front of the shortstop.
- Two batters later, Wilken worked a walk to put two runners on with two outs.
- This forced a mound visit from the LSU staff.
- Two batters later, Wilken worked a walk to put two runners on with two outs.
- Keener continued to work in the bottom of the fifth.
- A groundout to the shortstop got the first LSU batter of the inning.
- Sean Sullivan came in with one out and a runner on.
- He got a flyout to center for the second out of the inning.
- He fanned his second batter to keep the score at 5-2.
- Bennett delivered his second hit of the game to leadoff the top of the sixth.
- Sullivan came back out in the bottom of the inning, striking out the first batter of the inning.
- He fanned his third of the game and the second of the inning for the second out of the inning.
- For the third out, Kurtz scooped up a lining one-hop grounder and took him himself to first unassisted.
- With the top of the lineup up, Hawke led off the inning with a single to center.
- Lucas Costello reached base on a hit by pitch to put two on with no outs.
- A fielder's choice put runners on the corners with one out.
- This forced a pitching change from LSU.
- Sullivan got the first out of the seventh on a popup bunt to Wilken
- On the next pitch, he got a ground ball to Kurtz to tag the runner and threw it back to Sullivan for the double play.
- Lee picked up his first hit of the game with two outs in the eighth.
- Marek Houston kept the line moving with a single to left center.
- This forced a mound visit and pitching change from LSU.
- Marek Houston kept the line moving with a single to left center.
- Sullivan got a flyout to center for the first out of the bottom of the eighth.
- He got another flyout for the second out.
- After a pickoff attempt to first, the Tigers tried to steal a run, but Kurtz and a quick throw home and got the final out of the inning to send it to the ninth.
- Costello got a walk to lead off the top of the ninth inning.
- The Deacs were unable to capitalize as the next three Deacs were retired to finish the game.
"Obviously a disappointing loss, but we'll come out ready to play tomorrow like we've done all year. We've responded to adversity all year. Tomorrow will be no different. Sullivan threw the ball well, kind of quieted the game down, kind of kept us in it, gave us chances. We had people on base all day. We were 2-for-17 with runners on base today. That's going to be hard pressed to win a game with those kind of numbers with people on base. I had a chance to walk Beloso there with a 2-0 count. 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 throwing a changeup. Seth threw a 2-0 changeup that he just elevated, and Beloso didn't miss it. He's a good hitter. I 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. But we have to come out tomorrow and play good baseball."
Wake Forest Side of the Men's College World Series Bracket
- Game One: No. 1 Wake Forest def. No. 8 Stanford, 3-2 | Saturday, June 17 | 2 p.m. ET | ESPN
- Game Two: No. 5 LSU def. Tennessee, 6-3 | Saturday, June 17 | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN
- Game Three: Tennessee def. Stanford, 6-4 | Monday, June 19 | 2 p.m. ET | ESPN
- Game Four: No. 1 Wake Forest defeated No. 5 LSU, 3-2 | Monday, June 19 | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN
- Game Five: No. 5 LSU defeated Tennessee, 5-0 | Tuesday, June 20 | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN
- Game Six: No. 5 LSU defeats No. 1 Wake Forest, 5-2 | Wednesday, June 21 | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN
- Game Seven: No. 1 Wake Forest vs. No. 5 LSU | Thursday, June 22 | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN2
This is the Deacs' third ever Men's College World Series appearance, and its first since capturing the program's first national championship in 1955.
After breaking the program record for wins in its opening game of the Winston-Salem NCAA Regional against George Mason on June 2, Wake Forest has broken the program record for regular season wins, ACC wins, ACC series wins and overall wins this season. Additionally, the Deacs became the first team in Wake Forest history to have 50 or more wins in a single season in the NCAA Regional Final on June 4.
Wake Forest Baseball 40-Win Seasons
- 2023- 54 overall wins (45 regular season, nine postseason)
- 2002 - 47 overall wins (42 regular season, five postseason)
- 1999 - 47 overall wins (39 regular season, eight postseason)
- 2001- 44 overall wins (37 regular season, seven postseason)
- 2017 - 43 overall wins (38 regular season wins, five postseason)
- 1998- 43 overall wins (36 regular season, seven postseason)
- 2000 - 42 overall wins, (38 regular season, three postseason)
- 2022 - 41 overall wins (39 regular season, two postseason)
- North Carolina - 2013 - 59
- Virginia - 2011 - 56
- Wake Forest - 2023 - 54
- Louisville - 2017 - 53
- Virginia - 2014 - 53
- Louisville - 2019 - 51
- North Carolina 2011 - 51
- Virginia - 2010 - 51
- Louisville - 2016 - 50
- Florida State - 2012 - 50
- Miami - 2016 - 50
- Miami - 2015 - 50
- NC State - 2013 - 50
- Virginia - 2013 - 50
Wake Forest Fastest to 40 Wins
- 2023: 47 games
- 2002: 49 games
- 1999: 53 games
- 2001: 55 games
- 2022: 58 games
- 2017: 58 games
- 2000: 59 games
- 1998: 61 games
- North Carolina - 2013 - 59
- Virginia - 2011 - 56
- Wake Forest - 2023 - 54
- Louisville - 2017 - 53
- Virginia - 2014 - 53
- Mississippi St. 2021 68 603.2 817
- Vanderbilt 2021 67 598.0 790
- Wake Forest 2023 65 571.2 768
- Ole Miss 2021 67 586.1 765
- Vanderbilt 2019 71 633.2 765
- Southern Miss. 2022 66 596.1 746
- Arizona St. 1972 72 625.0 732
- Mississippi St. 2019 67 600.0 718
- Florida St. 1986 74 637.0 718
With the loss, the No. 1 Wake Forest baseball team will play in the winner-take-all game Thursday night at the Men's College World Series. The Demon Deacons will face LSU for the third time this week with the game scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
The Deacs are making the program's third ever Men's College World Series appearance, and its first since capturing the program's first national championship in 1955.
Stay tuned to Wake Forest's social media accounts (@WakeBaseball) for the latest scheduling updates and information.
Follow The Deacs:
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Griffin Herring (5-2)
L: Keener, Seth (8-2)
S: Riley Cooper (3)
Batting:
RBI: Hawke, Tommy 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Bennett, Pierce 1 ; Lee, Bennett 1
HBP: Costello, Lucas 1
Batting:
2B: Brayden Jobert 1
HR: Cade Beloso 1
RBI: Cade Beloso 3 ; Brayden Jobert 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Dylan Crews 1 ; Tre' Morgan 1 ; Gavin Dugas 1 ; Cade Beloso 2
CS: Jack Merrifield 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
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3
RBI
2
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF/INF
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INF/C
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