Cade Beloso mashes three-run home run, gives LSU 5-2 lead

LSU is alive and well facing elimination against top-seeded Wake Forest on Wednesday.

Cade Beloso belted a no-doubt three-run home run to right-center in the bottom of the third inning, breaking a 2-2 tie and sending Tre’ Morgan and Gavin Dugas. The homer capped a four-run third inning for the Tigers, as Dylan Crews scored on a wild pitch earlier in the inning, which tied the game at the time.

The home run was Beloso’s 15th of the season, though it was certainly his most important. Now, it’s up to the defensive unit to do what no team has been able to do this postseason — slow down the Wake Forest bats.

That’s what we call a Belly Bomb, folks@cade_beloso | ESPN pic.twitter.com/3uej22Pp1W

— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) June 22, 2023

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Tom Walter admits Wake Forest ‘probably should’ve walked’ Beloso 

The swing changed the game. But if Wake Forest coach Tom Walter could do it again, he said he’d have put Beloso on first to load the bases with one out in the inning.

“Probably should’ve walked Beloso there,” Walter told ESPN’s Kris Budden ahead of the fifth inning. “I wanted to do it 2-0 and didn’t, and it ended up costing us.”

That inning was one the only blemishes on Seth Keener’s line through his first four innings of work. Although he also walked three hitters — something Walter said needed to be fixed — he kept the high-powered LSU offense to just four hits through 4.1 innings of work and struck out four Tigers in the effort.

However, after that home run by Beloso, Keener got a groundout and a popout to end the inning. That resiliency, Walter said, was impressive.

“The free passes have really hurt us. … Really happy with how he bounced back there in the last inning,” Walter said.

It’s easy to get caught up in the moment when teams get to the College World Series. For Wake Forest, having each other’s back while also staying loose is critical on such a big stage.

“That’s what we do. That’s who we are,” Walter said. “We’re a loose bunch who really cares about each other. We’re going to fight through this thing and hopefully, we’ll be there at the end.”

If Wake Forest can hold on, it would set up a championship series matchup against Florida starting on Saturday. However, if LSU pulls off the victory, the two teams will play an if-necessary game on Thursday.

On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this report