The LSU Tigers are one game away from claiming college baseball's top prize following an exhilarating 4-3 victory over the Florida Gators in Game 1 of theโฆ
College World Series Finals 2023: LSU Wins Game 1 vs. Florida in 11-Inning Thriller
Jun 25, 2023
OMAHA, NEBRASKA - JUNE 24: Cade Beloso #24 of the LSU Tigers waits at home plate after a home run by Gavin Dugas #8 during the third inning of Game 1 of the NCAA College World Series baseball finals against the Florida Gators at Charles Schwab Field on June 24, 2023 in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images)
Game one of the Men's College World Series Finals projected to be a chess match, and it did not dissappoint.
The SEC foes did not meet in the regular season, but No. 5 LSU took the opening game of the best-of-three series against No. 2 Florida 4-3 in 11 innings.
LSU earned the series lead and only utilized two pitchers in the game. Starter Ty Floyd lasted eight innings and notched 17 strikeouts to earn the no-decision, while Riley Cooper worked the final three innings to earn the victory. The Gators used three pitchers in the loss, so both teams should have some bullpen leeway going forward.
The Tigers jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Cade Beloso notched a single that drove in top draft prospect Dylan Crews.
Gavin Dugas would extend the lead to 2-0 in the third inning when he ripped a line drive over the left field fence, giving the visiting Tigers a huge momentum boost.
The Gators would respond in the bottom of the inning when Jac Caglianone drove in Cade Kurland. In the fifth inning, Kurland would drive in Ty Evans to tie the score. Florida would then take its first lead of the game when BT Riopelle sent a moonshot over the right field wall.
The Gators would hold the lead until the top of the eighth, when Tommy 'Tanks' White hit the second Tiger home run of the game to even the score at three.
The Gators would have an opportunity to walk it off in the bottom of the ninth, but Tigers reliever Riley Cooper shut the door. Florida threatened again in the bottom of the 10th, as top prospect Wyatt Langford ripped a line drive into left field that looked like it would end the game. Instead, Josh Pearson made a jumping catch to keep the game alive.
When LSU got back up to the plate, it didn't take long for them to capitalize. Beloso unleashed on the second pitch of the inch, launching a go-ahead home run.
The 2023 College World Series best-of-three championship series could feature the top three selections in the 2023 MLB draft. LSU Tigers pitcher Paul Skenesโฆ
College World Series 2023: Thursday Scores, Winners and Bracket Results
Jun 23, 2023
LSU pitcher Paul Skenes throws to a Wake Forest batter during the fifth inning in a baseball game at the NCAA College World Series in Omaha, Neb., Thursday, June 22, 2023. (AP Photo/John Peterson)
The stage for the Men's College World Series final is set.
After one of the best pitchers' duels in tournament history ended with a walk-off homer in extra innings, LSU triumphed over Wake Forest 2-0 Thursday to win the NCAA MCWS Bracket 2.
The Tigers will now prepare to take on the Florida Gators on Saturday in Game 1 of the best-of-three final round.
Here's a look at how LSU and Wake Forest made history during Thursday's semifinal contest.
Find the complete MCWS bracket on the NCAA website.
Thursday's game didn't start out as Wake Forest vs. LSU. It began as Rhett Lowder vs. Paul Skenes.
On the mound for Wake Forest, Lowder allowed zero runs and three hits through seven innings. He walked two batters and struck out six to make Demon Deacons history with his 141st strikeout of the season.
LSU's Skenes answered with zero runs and two hits through eight frames, with nine strikeouts and one walk.
After entering the game with just four days of rest, Skenes had his 203rd strikeout of the season, marking the most even thrown in a single season by an SEC pitcher.
With this strikeout, Paul Skenes has broken the SEC single season strikeout record. He has 203 Ks in 116.2 IP. https://t.co/mmnIH2tcMo
Wake Forest came within inches of the game's first run in the top of the eighth inning. With Justin Johnson on third, Marek Houston attempted a safety squeeze.
First baseman Tre' Morgan charged down the line, grabbed the ball and threw it hard to catcher Alex Milazzo, who tagged Johnson out just as he slid home to save the Tigers' season.
LSU will now face Florida on just two days of rest for its ace pitcher, making the relatively rested Gators a brutal test for the Tigers when Game 1 of the final round begins Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.
College World Series 2023: Wednesday Winners, Scores, Bracket Results
Jun 21, 2023
Florida's Josh Rivera, left, celebrates with Michael Robertson following their win against TCU in a baseball game at the NCAA College World Series in Omaha, Neb., Wednesday, June 21, 2023. Florida defeated TCU 3-2. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)
Both berths in the College World Series championship series were up for grabs on Wednesday, with Florida facing TCU in the Bracket 1 final and Wake Forest taking on LSU in the other.
Wins by Florida and Wake Forest would send them automatically to the championship series. Wins from TCU and LSU would set up winner-take-all showdowns in both brackets on Thursday.
Below, we'll break down the day's results and highlights.
LSU def. Wake Forest, 5-2
We're getting one more game in Bracket 2.
LSU defeated Wake Forest on Wednesday, 5-2, setting up a winner-take-all matchup at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday (ESPN).
The Tigers fell into a quick 2-0 hole in the top of the second after Tommy Hawke's two-run single opened the scoring.
But Brayden Jobert's RBI double in the bottom of the frame pulled one back, a wild pitch tied the game in the bottom of the third and Cade Beloso provided all the insurance LSU would need with a three-run blast later that inning.
Josh Rivera added a two-run blast in the top of the first to open the scoring, while Jac Caglianone, Ryan Slater, Cade Fisher and Brandon Neely combined to give up just six hits and two runs while striking out eight.
TCU starter Kole Klecker went five innings, giving up six hits and two runs, while Ben Abeldt (3.0 IP, three hits, one run, five strikeouts) took the loss.
TCU erased its early deficit on Brayden Taylor's RBI single in the bottom of the first and Anthony Silva's RBI ground-rule double in the bottom of the eighth.
But that simply set the stage for the heroics of Kurland and Robertson. Florida now waits for the winner of Wake Forest vs. LSU on Thursday.
College World Series 2023: Tuesday Scores, Winners and Bracket Results
Jun 20, 2023
TCU pitcher Ben Abeldt celebrates after a win over Virginia in a baseball game at the NCAA College World Series in Omaha, Neb., Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP Photo/John Peterson)
A pair of elimination games were on tap at the College World Series on Tuesday, with TCU taking on Oral Roberts and LSU facing Tennessee.
Below, we'll break down the day's results and highlights.
LSU def. Tennessee, 5-0
In the battle of the SEC, LSU prevailed.
The Tigers are moving on to the Bracket 2 final to face Wake Forest after defeating Tennessee 5-0 on Tuesday.
LSU opened the scoring right out of the gate on Cade Beloso's RBI single in the top of the first.
Nate Ackenhausen threw six scoreless innings (four hits, no walks, seven strikeouts) to earn the win in his first start of the season. Riley Cooper added three scoreless frames (two hits, one walk, two strikeouts) to shut the door.
LSU will face Wake Forest on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. An LSU would set up a winner-take-all rematch on Thursday. A Demon Deacons win on Wednesday, meanwhile, would send them to the CWS Final against either TCU or Florida.
TCU def. Oral Roberts, 6-1
TCU is alive. Oral Roberts' season is over.
The Horned Frogs defeated the Golden Eagles, 6-1, and will advance to face Florida in the Bracket 1 final.
TCU took a 2-0 lead through four innings before blowing open the scoring in the top of the fifth. Cole Fontenelle's RBI single, Kurtis Byrne's sacrifice fly and Anthony Silva's two-run single accounted for the four-run frame.
Oral Roberts had their opportunities, and plenty of baserunners. TCU pitchers Cam Brown, Luke Savage, Hunter Hodges and Cohen Feser combined to give up one run, seven hits, eight walks and nine strikeouts. Savage was credited with the win.
A bit of nifty fielding helped aid in that effort:
Jonah Cox's RBI single in the bottom of the sixth accounted for Oral Roberts' lone run.
Brooks Fowler took the loss, giving up a run, a hit, three walks and four strikeouts in three innings, though Joshua Caravalho gave up three runs in 1.1 innings of work.
TCU scored its second run of the game after a balk was called on Oral Roberts pitcher Joshua Caravalho. pic.twitter.com/T0MimnDA4H
Florida and TCU will face off on Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN. A TCU win would force a winner-take-all matchup between the teams on Thursday, while a Florida win would send the Gators to the CWS Finals.
College World Series 2023: Monday Scores, Winners and Bracket Results
Jun 19, 2023
Tennessee pitcher Chase Burns (23) reacts after striking out two Southern Mississippi baseball players to close out the seventh inning of an NCAA college baseball tournament super regional game Monday, June 12, 2023, in Hattiesburg, Miss. Tennessee won 5-0 and advances to the College World Series. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Day Four of the Men's College World Series opened with one team getting sent home from Omaha, followed by two national powerhouses facing off in the nightcap in hopes of taking control of Bracket 2.
Here's a look at how things went down.
Monday's Results
Tennessee 6, Stanford 4
Wake Forest 3, LSU 2
Find the official College World Series bracket at NCAA.com.
Tennessee 6, Stanford 4
Tennessee managed to stay alive by overcoming a four-run deficit and rallying past Stanford to earn a gritty victory. Reliever Chase Burns was the hero of the matchup, pitching six shutout innings with nine strikeouts. The sophomore righty retired 18 out of the 20 batters he faced.
Things looked bleak for Tennessee when Stanford opened the game with an early lead. Vols starter Chase Dollander was removed in the third inning after surrendering four earned runs.
However, Tennessee's bats woke up with a four-run fifth inning. Hunter Ensley kicked things off with a sac fly and Jared Dickey followed with an RBI single. Christian Moore's two-run single tied the game.
Tennessee took the lead in the seventh when Zane Denton plated Griffin Merritt on an RBI groundout. An insurance run was tacked on when Blake Burke scored on a wild pitch.
Thanks to the late heroics, the Vols will have the opportunity to keep their season alive when they face LSU.
Wake Forest 3, LSU 2
Top-seeded Wake Forest faced a scare from LSU on Monday night, but the Demon Deacons proved why they're the No. 1 team in the nation by rallying for a 3-2 win.
The Tigers took an early advantage when Tommy White opened the scoring with an RBI single in the third and then came around to score on Tre' Morgan's RBI triple. LSU starter Ty Floyd was also dealing with five shutout innings and 10 strikeouts.
However, Floyd ran into trouble to start the sixth inning when he walked the bases loaded. He was replaced by Thatcher Hurd, who promptly surrendered an RBI single to Brock Wilken. Pierce Bennett then scored on an RBI groundout by Justin Johnson.
The tie held until the eighth inning when Danny Corona hit a one-out double and then scored the go-ahead run on Bennett Lee's RBI single. Right-hander Camden Minacci, who entered with one out in the eighth inning and got a double play, shut the door with a 1-2-3 ninth to secure the victory for the Demon Deacons.
DEACS IN FRONTโผ๏ธ@BennettLee51 knocks in the go-ahead run ๐ฉ
— Wake Forest Baseball (@WakeBaseball) June 20, 2023
Wake Forest will now have the chance to get some rest while LSU and Tennessee duke it out with their seasons on the line. The Tigers and Vols will meet on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. ET.
College Baseball World Series 2023: Sunday Scores, Winners and Bracket Results
Jun 18, 2023
TCU pitcher Ben Abeldt celebrates after a win over Virginia in a baseball game at the NCAA College World Series in Omaha, Neb., Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP Photo/John Peterson)
Day Three in Omaha saw the second matchup for Friday's team's. An historic elimination was on the table, and one team also had the opportunity to grab a stranglehold in Bracket 1.
Here's how things are shaping up so far.
Sunday's Results
TCU 4, Virginia 3
Florida 5, Oral Roberts 4
Find the official College World Series bracket at NCAA.com.
TCU 4, Virginia 3
Neither team had gone 0-2 in the College World Series before this matchup, but history was on the side of the Horned Frogs in this tight battle.
TCU grabbed a lead in the third inning and never relinquished it, but the Cavaliers maintained close proximity all day.
The teams each put up a run in the first inning, but some strategic hitting from TCU gave the Horned Frogs an edge in the third. That score would hold until the sixth when an Elijah Nunez single drove in Anthony Silva to extend the lead to two.
The Cavaliers would score a second run when Ethan Anderson smashed a home run in the bottom of the seventh, putting them within a run.
Virginia would scratch back with another run in the bottom of the eighth, but TCU closer Ben Abeldt shut the door in the ninth to extend the Horned Frogs season.
Florida 5, Oral Roberts 4
Oral Roberts managed to get 11 hits against the No. 2 national seed, but three home runs propelled the Florida Gators closer to a championship berth.
Justin Quinn singled in a run for the Golden Eagles in the bottom of the inning, but fourth inning home runs from Justin Rivera and Luke Heyman put the Gators up 5-1.
Despite the four-run deficit, the Golden Eagles were not deterred. A two-run inside-the-park home run in the seventh got the team within two, and they rallied to get runners in scoring position in the final inning.
Oral Roberts did add an extra run in the ninth but was unable to fully come back, and Florida now will have two opportunities to clinch a ticket to the National Championship.
College World Series 2023: Saturday Scores, Winners and Bracket Results
Jun 17, 2023
Wake Forest's Brock Wilken, left, and Nick Kurtz, right, celebrate after scoring on a single by Danny Corona against Stanford during the eighth inning of a baseball game at the NCAA College World Series in Omaha, Neb., Saturday, June 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)
Four more teams face off in Omaha, Nebraska Saturday as Day 2 of the 2023 Men's College World Series gets underway.
Here's how things are shaping up so far.
Find the official College World Series bracket at NCAA.com.
Wake Forest 3, Stanford 2
Due to a lightning strike nearby, the game is delayed in the seventh inning as Stanford plays against Wake Forest in a baseball game at the NCAA College World Series in Omaha, Neb., on Saturday, June 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)
Wake Forest, which trailed by one run before a mid-game lightning delay Saturday, returned rested and ready to rally against Stanford.
Danny Corona's two-RBI eighth-inning single sealed the Demon Decons' 3-2 comeback victory.
Before the weather delay, Stanford's Carter Graham had just hit a double to left field in the top of the seventh. The Cardinal led 2-1.
Then, the game ground to a halt for a weather delay that lasted so long Stanford head coach David Esquer was spotted in the concessions line during the break.
Stanford started out the game strong with hits on the first two at-bats from Eddie Park and Tommy Troy. The Cardinal loaded the bases in a messy top of the first but only were able to send one runner home on an RBI hit-by-pitch.
Graham made sure Stanford maintained that 1-0 lead by jumping up to snag a ball off the bat of Pierce Bennett in the bottom of the first.
Wake Forest starting pitcher Rhett Lowder recovered to force Stanford through a three-batter second, setting the stage for team home run leader Brock Wilken to tie things up.
Wilken, who holds the Wake Forest and ACC career home run record, sent his 31st homer of the season over the fence to even the score at 1-1.
Brock Wilken hits his 31st HR of the year ๐ฅ
He is now tied with Jac Caglianone for the most HRs in college baseball this season ๐ pic.twitter.com/xYJdEVXeJu
Troy began the third frame with another on-base hit, eventually sliding home on an RBI single from Graham to regain the lead for Stanford, 2-1.
Wake Forest got on the edge of tying the game by loading the bases in the fourth, but the inning ended before the Demon Deacons could send a runner home.
The teams cycled through two quick frames before the weather interruption in the seventh. One hour and 28 minutes passed before the game resumed.
Fresh out of the impromptu break, Wake Forest hurler Seth Keener opened the eighth inning by striking out three straight batters.
That set up Corona for his go-ahead two-RBI single.
Wake Forest ended Stanford's hopes of recovery with a game-ending double play in the ninth. Cardinal closer Ryan Bruno marked the loss, while Keener struck out four and allowed zero hits in the critical eighth frame to earn the win.
The two teams' next opponents depend on the results of tonight's contest between LSU and Tennessee. Wake Forest will face the winner, while Stanford will take on the loser in an elimination game Monday.
LSU 6, Tennessee 3
LSU starting pitcher Paul Skenes throws against Tennessee in the first inning of a baseball game at the NCAA College World Series in Omaha, Neb., on Saturday, June 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)
Dominant pitching from Paul Skenes and big hits from Gavin Dugas and Brayden Jobert carried LSU to a 6-3 victory over Tennessee Saturday night.
Dugas, a graduate student in his final year of eligibility, knows he has to make this College World Series count.
So, when Dugas opened scoring for the Tigers in the bottom of the second inning, he didn't just send his home run over the fence. He put it deep into the crowd for good measure.
In the third frame, LSU's Josh Pearson and Dylan Crews led off with singles before two groundouts sent Crews home, extending the Tigers' lead to 2-0.
Meanwhile, starting pitcher Skenes dominated on the mound, striking out 11 batters while holding Tennessee to zero runs and one walk off of three hits through six innings.
First 7 pitches of the College World Series for @LSUbaseballโs Paul Skenes, culminating in this K.
Tennessee's Blake Burke reached base on a fielding error in the ninth, but the Volunteers' comeback homes fell short. Starter Andrew Lindsey recorded the loss for Tennessee, while Skenes' 75 strikes on 123 pitches earned the win.
LSU will now take on Wake Forest Monday, while Tennessee will need a win against Stanford to extend their title hopes.
The NCAA Men's College World Series is underway and Friday, Oral Roberts and Florida stunned the field with massive come-from-behind victories in the ninthโฆ
