Fans who stuck around long enough Thursday at Porters Chapel Academy got to see a variety of sporting events at one low price.

A track meet, stickball, basketball and even some wallball were all on the menu for the discerning sports fan. There was a little of everything, it seemed, except for a full and complete baseball game.

A heavy thunderstorm pushed through Warren County shortly after 8 p.m. Thursday, forcing the suspension of Game 2 of the MPSA Class A North State championship series between PCA and Tri-County.

PCA was leading 4-0 with two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning when a few streaks of lightning sent players and fans sprinting for PCA’s gym. Moments later, the skies opened up. Howling wind blew sheets of rain across the area, and more lightning lit up the night sky.

After a 90-minute delay, umpires and coaches from both teams agreed to resume the game where they left off today at 2 p.m. at Tri-County Academy in Flora.

&#8220Everybody got real dead and tight. We probably wouldn’t have done real good if we went back out there,” PCA second baseman Cole Smith said. &#8220I think that’s the best thing we could have done.”

If Tri-County can mount a comeback and force a deciding Game 3 in the series, the teams will load up immediately afterward and go to Raymond to play it at Hinds Community College.

PCA coach Randy Wright tried to convince Tri-County’s Joe Goolsby to turn around and play Game 3 in Vicksburg, with no luck. Goolsby’s squad would be the home team for Game 3, and he didn’t want to lose his homefield advantage. And with more bad weather forecast for the weekend, neither coach wanted to delay the series any longer than necessary.

&#8220We’re supposed to get more bad weather on Saturday and Sunday, and we didn’t want to mess up our pitching for next week,” said Wright, who hopes his team can finish off its sixth straight playoff victory and advance to the Academy-A state finals for the fourth time in six seasons.

The storm could not have struck at a worse time for PCA. The Eagles were in control of the game after scoring four runs in the bottom of the first inning.

Smith led off with a single and advanced to second on an outfield error, then avoided a tag on a grounder between second and third to move up another base. Chris Mixon was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Moose Carney followed with a double off the left field wall that plated two runs.

Hayden Hales then drove in two more with a single, putting the Eagles ahead 4-0 and continuing a playoff-long streak of scoring early. PCA has scored at least one run in the first or second inning of every playoff game this postseason.

&#8220He was getting behind in the count, and our guys were taking advantage of it and hitting it in spots where they couldn’t get it,” Mixon said, referring to Tri-County starter Andrew Howell.

In his first postseason start of the year, Hales breezed through the first three innings before running into trouble in the fourth. He loaded the bases with two walks and a hit batsman before striking out Brentley Davis for the second out of the inning. Hales then got Howell to ground into a fielder’s choice to escape the jam and maintain the Eagles’ 4-0 advantage.

Hales allowed only one hit through four innings and struck out six, but won’t pitch today unless the series goes to a third game. Wright may go to closer Michael Busby when Game 2 resumes, or bring in another pitcher from his deep staff to work an inning or two.

Both Matt Cranfield and Smith pitched in Game 1 on Tuesday, but neither threw a lot of pitches. Dan Ivey is also available, although he has not thrown in any of PCA’s playoff games.

&#8220I don’t know what we’re going to do pitching-wise,” Wright said. &#8220We don’t have any pitchers that have thrown a whole lot of pitches this week.”

After Hales escaped the fourth-inning jam, Howell struck out Brady Towne and Spencer Pell before issuing a two-out walk to Smith. Before Howell could throw another pitch, the field umpires spotted some lightning and rushed in to halt the game.

After a few moments, the umpires cleared the dugouts and hustled all of the players to the safer gym about 150 yards away. Players left clothes, gear and bags in the dugout as the umpires ran alongside them to safety.

Although the rain was soon coming down in sheets, no one wanted to give up on the idea of finishing the game on Thursday night.

The umpiring crew, which is based in West Monroe, La., said they had the day off from their regular jobs and would rather wait it out than drive 100 miles each way again today.

Tri-County’s players have today off from school, and PCA has a half-day. PCA headmaster Gwen Reiber was ready to excuse her school’s players from class to finish up the game.

In the end, though, Mother Nature would have none of it. After holding its own for over an hour, the field simply became too wet and the rain remained too heavy to consider resuming play.

As they waited in vain for the rain to lighten up, PCA’s players entertained themselves by shooting a basketball and playing wallball with a tennis ball. Later, someone dug up a wooden dowel and several Eagles enjoyed an impromptu game of stickball.

It was no substitute for the game they came to play, though.

&#8220It’s no fun,” Wright said of waiting out the rain delay. &#8220It’s very disappointing. We had all the momentum tonight, and I was very disappointed that we couldn’t finish this up.”