Bennett Lee explains his two clutch plays in the eighth inning vs. LSU

Wake Forest is just one more win away from competing for a College World Series title, but it wouldn’t be in this position if not for catcher Bennett Lee. The junior made a pair of crucial plays on both offense and defense in the eighth inning of Monday’s 3-2 win against LSU.

With the game tied at 2 entering the inning, the Tigers quickly got a pair of players on base as the Demon Deacons started to feel the pressure. Tre’ Morgan soon found himself in scoring position at third base, and darted toward home after Cade Beloso hit the ball toward third baseman Brock Wilken.

Wilken acted quickly, slinging the ball toward Lee in attempt to throw Morgan out. It reached the catcher’s glove just in time as he tagged the Morgan what seemed like mere milliseconds before he touched home.

“Brock did a great job staying with that ball,” Lee said postgame on ESPN. “It was like a cue ball spinner and he did a great job just to even make a play at home. I’ve done a ton of training on picks and it just took over.”

That was only the first out of the inning, however, and LSU still had runners on first and second. But Wake Forest recorded a double play right after, setting the stage for Bennett Lee to again come through with another clutch moment.

After Danny Corona doubled in the bottom of the eighth, Lee stepped up to the plate with a chance to drive in the go-ahead run. Before hitting, however, he called timeout to talk things over with associate head coach Bill Cilento.

Cilento’s message seemed to be exactly what Lee needed to hear, as he sent a ball to left field for an RBI single. That was all Wake Forest needed as the defense forced LSU to go three up, three down in the top of the ninth to end the game.

“I actually called the timeout just to slow down,” the catcher said. “Billy’s like a father figure to all of us and I wanted a little bit of comfort there. He just told me to grind and find a way and luckily we got it done.”

The No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, Wake Forest has yet to lose in the NCAA Tournament after breezing through Regional and Super Regional play. Now the Demon Deacons await the winner of an between Tennessee and LSU as they hope to continue their quest for their first national championship since 1955.

“It’s really fun,” Lee said. “We have a ton of fun the whole time and that’s what it’s really about. In these big moments you can kind of get lost in that. But trust in God, trust in each other, trust in our family is what makes us get it done.”