Usually, the only team in a must-win scenario in the College World Series is the one facing elimination with a loss.

But it didn’t feel that way Wednesday night.

This is no ordinary College World Series. And LSU’s Paul Skenes is no ordinary pitcher. He is the boogeyman. It’s best to leave him in the closet, or under the bed, or wherever it is that boogeymen reside.

Wake Forest had that opportunity against a cadre of LSU relievers on Wednesday night. Guys who should have been shaken to the core against the nation’s No. 2 offense in runs scored.

LSU’s motley crew on the mound was not fazed, with 5 pitchers collaborating to patch together a 5-2 win.

Wake Forest’s powerful hitters, who produced 75 runs in a 5-game blitzkrieg through the regionals and super regionals, went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position against the Tigers. A total of 11 Demon Deacons were left stranded.

There will be a decisive game between the Tigers and Deacons on Thursday.

And with it comes the boogeyman.

Mission impossible: Hit Paul Skenes

Skenes is the top arm in college baseball this year, which is obviously a challenge in itself. But he’s also far more than that. He’s the industry consensus as the best college pitching prospect since Stephen Strasburg in 2009.

If you were building a weekend rotation of top college pitchers from the 21st century, Skenes would be in it along with Strasburg and the 2001 version of Mark Prior.

To wit: the average speed of Skenes’ fastball in LSU’s College World Series opener against Tennessee was 99.7 miles per hour. Not the fastest one. The average. In fact, 46 of Skenes’ 123 total pitches against the Vols topped 100 mph.

Most guys who hit triple figures on the radar gun have trouble finding the strike zone. That’s just basic physics — it’s hard to control a rocket coming out of somebody’s hand.

Skenes has walked 19 batters against 200 strikeouts in 114 2/3 innings. It’s ridiculous, made-up, video game-type stuff.

Only it’s completely real.

This is the nightmare that the Demon Deacons awakened by failing the finish the job Wednesday night.

Skenes is not invincible, at least. He didn’t make it out of the fourth inning against South Carolina (April 6) or Arkansas (May 25), and he’s theoretically due for a human performance in June.

But Wake Forest’s path to its first championship since 1955 would be a heck of a lot easier if Skenes’ next pitches were being thrown as a member of the Pirates or Nationals organizations rather than against the Deacs.

Rhett Lowder: The man for the job?

The despair would likely be widespread for any other team going up against Skenes. But Wake Forest at least has a chance, because the closest thing to a Skenes peer will take the mound.

Rhett Lowder, like Skenes, is a first team all-American who is expected to be among the first 10 picks in the upcoming MLB Draft. Lowder has a 15-0 record and 1.99 ERA to Skenes’ 13-2 mark and 1.81 ERA.

Coupled with the spacious confines of Charles Schwab Field, this is shaping up as one of the elite pitching duels in College World Series history.

Perhaps the most interesting question is how far Wake coach Tom Walter is willing to push Lowder beyond his known limits.

Thanks to a trustworthy bullpen and an explosive offense, Lowder hasn’t had to work beyond the seventh inning this season. Nor has the long-haired righty been asked to throw more than 105 pitches.

Skenes has worked into the eighth in all 3 of his postseason starts, beginning with a complete game against Tulane to open regionals. He has 10 different starts with a pitch count above Lowder’s season high.

The Deacons have a deeper bullpen than LSU, and especially so now that the Tigers have played an extra game. So Lowder might not have to go pitch-for-pitch with Skenes for the entire game.

But Wake will need the best from its ace, because that’s what is required when beating the boogeyman.

And that raises the secondary issue created by Wake’s failure to cash in against LSU’s bullpen brigade.

Maybe the Demon Deacons do beat Skenes to advance to the championship series against Florida. But the only chance they’d have to use Lowder again is if the series advances to a third game on Monday night.

Had Wake finished the job, Lowder would be ready to go for Game 1 against Florida. Now the Deacs must use every resource at their disposal just to get to the Gators.

But if they get through Paul Skenes, maybe that part will seem easy.