OMAHA, Neb. — The LSU-North Carolina elimination game began shortly after 6 p.m. Thursday and will resume Friday at 6 p.m, the NCAA announced.
The game was originally stopped at 6:27 p.m. for a minimum 30-minute lightning delay.
Rain and lightning persisted from there until the game was officially postponed shortly after 9:30 p.m.
“Mother nature wins again,” said North Carolina coach Mike Fox. “There’s nothing we can do about it. It happens in baseball.”
The game will resume with North Carolina leading, 2-0, with the bases loaded and one out in the top of the first.
“It’s going to be a long night, sleeping knowing that the bases are loaded and there’s only one out and you’re already in a 2-0 hole,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “We’ll just have to come out [Friday] and hope we can get out of a jam.”
Both Fox and Mainieri said they were unsure which pitchers would start Friday.
“We’ll have to see how [Thursday night’s junior starting pitcher] Blake [Martin] feels tomorrow,” Mainieri said. “Then we’ll weigh all the different options. I shouldn’t say it’s unlikely, but it’s possible I could bring him back. But it’s probably more likely somebody will come in out of the bullpen.”
Fox said he is unsure whether freshman starter Matt Harvey will pitch for North Carolina as expected Thursday night.
All further College World Series play will be pushed back a day.
Any fans with tickets to Thursday’s game can attend the conclusion of the game Friday with their original ticket.
Continue to check lsureveille.com for updates.
—-Contact Jerit Roser at [email protected]