Setting the stage Wake Forest, the No. 1 overall seed in the 2023 NCAA tournament, matched up with five-seed LSU in the Men's College World Series semifinals. The Tigers and Demon Deacons were the only two teams to hold a consensus No. 1 ranking in the regular season polls. Although this wasn't the finals, there was a good argument that these were the two best teams in college baseball — and they certainly held the two best pitchers. Leading up to Thursday's game, Wake took Game 1 on Monday, and LSU forced a decisive Game 3 with a win on Wednesday. The Tigers handed the Deacons their first loss of the entire tournament that Wednesday. And so there it was. The question every college baseball fan yearned to know — who will be the starting pitchers? Both Skenes and Lowder were coming off just four days of rest. If each first-team All-American were to go, it would be the fewest days between starts for each pitcher all season. While it is not unusual to rush college starts, it was no guarantee. But that Thursday morning, Jay Johnson (LSU coach) and Tom Walter (Wake coach) answered the prayers of baseball fans across the country. Whether it was a random act of fate or the much more likely scenario of strategic managing from Johnson and Walter, the stars certainly aligned. NCAA.com's own Mike Lopresti and countless other outlets previewed what it would mean if these two faced off, and each article was spot on. It was easily one of, if not the best, pitching duel in the MCWS history. The future No. 1 and No. 7 overall picks in the 2023 MLB Draft, head-to-head, in a win-or-go-home scenario on college baseball's biggest stage. As Billy Beane said, how can you not be romantic about baseball? Scouting Although both pitchers were two of the best in the sport, they had two vastly different arsenals. Skenes wields a cannon on his right arm, consistently notching triple digits on the radar gun with his fastball. He used his 6-foot-6 frame to overpower hitters with his velocity, similar to MLB Hall of Famer Randy Johnson. Skenes carried a 1.81 ERA into the game (second in DI), with a 13-2 record. Lowder, while he could touch the upper 90s, relied much more on his command and speed control, holding one of the best changeups in college baseball at the time. He had much more of an old-school approach, similar to Hall of Famer Greg Maddux. Lowder held a 1.99 ERA (fifth in DI) with a 15-0 record. The game The battle was set — 4 p.m. at Charles Schwab Field. The winner advances to face the Florida Gators in the finals. The loser goes home. The Tigers were seeking their first MCWS finals appearance since 2017. The Deacons, their first since 1955. LSU held the momentum after its 5-2 Wednesday night win. But Wake had perfection on the mound as the Deacons were 18-0 when Lowder took the ball. And, of course, there was still this looming question of how each ace will perform on short rest. Well, that question was answered quickly as both piled zeros up on the scoreboard. The HEAT is on! 🔥#MCWS x 🎥 ESPN2 / @LSUbaseball pic.twitter.com/pX8nOTvXoq