Rain got the best of the Mississippi Titans’ home contest Tuesday night with the Jackson 96ers at Viking Field.

The scheduled nine-inning, wooden bat game made it to the top of the fourth inning before a heavy thundershower turned the Viking Field infield into a muddy mess. The Jackson-based 96ers, who play in the National Amateur Baseball Federation, had a 4-1 lead through three complete innings.

Even though the game won’t count because not enough innings were played, Titans coach Roosevelt Brown was not happy.

“It was sloppy. Even though we were down when it was called, I thought we would beat them over nine innings. They brought their 17-year-olds’ team. We have already beaten their 18s this year, so I feel we should beat them, too,” said Brown of his Titans, a Vicksburg-based tournament team.

Tuesday’s game was being used as a warmup for the Southern Mississippi Invitational, which begins Thursday in Hattiesburg. Both the Titans, who are 10-6, and all three of the 96ers teams entered the tourney. The 96ers 18s have four members of St. Al’s two state championship teams: Pierson Waring, two-time Vicksburg Post Player of the Year Stephen Evans, Blake Haygood and Justin Rushing.

The 96ers team the Titans played Tuesday featured eight players from Madison Central, the 2010 Class 6A runnerup. Andrew Alexander, who started, was one of the eight. He pitched three innings and allowed one run off two hits and three walks.

The run that scored came from Vicksburg High’s Lamar Anthony, who led off with a walk in the first inning, and then later scored on a groundout by Columbia High School’s Ryan Ellis.

Anthony is one of eight players from three of the city’s four high schools playing for Brown and the Titans this summer. Carlos Gonzales of Warren Central started at third base, Taylor Brocato of Vicksburg was the catcher, while Porters Chapel’s Montana McDaniel was at second base and WC’s Clayton Ashley was in right field. Vicksburg High’s Cody Waddell was the starting pitcher and went two innings and left with the game tied at 1. He struck out three while issuing two walks and allowing two hits.

Clinton’s Jamie Monroe pitched the Titans’ third inning and ran into problems, with a hit batter, a walk and a double by John Morgan Berry. But it was what happened after the first two got on base that drew Brown’s anger.

“When you give up a leadoff walk or hit by pitch, 80 percent of the time, those runners wind up scoring. Then another guy walks and they steal both of them, and we throw the ball into center field because we don’t cover the bag. That’s why I took my shortstop out of the game after the inning. There’s no excuse for sloppy play,” said Brown, a Vicksburg native who played three years in left field for the Chicago Cubs. Both times the 96ers attempted to steal, Brocato’s throw went into center because neither of his infielders covered the bag. The second errant throw allowed both runners to score to break the 1-1 tie. Berry came around after his double to score on a sacrifice fly.

“We just didn’t play too well today,” Gonzales said. “It’s been two weeks since we last played together. Things will be better when we go down to Hattiesburg.”

Brown didn’t buy the layoff. The team had not played since making it to the finals of the the Louisiana Best Tournament at LSU-Eunice.