At 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, players and coaches from Vicksburg High and Warren Central mingled at the edge of the tarped infield at Viking Field. They should have been getting ready for a key divisional baseball game. Instead, they were pushed further and further away from the field.

At 4:45, they retreated to the dugout to avoid the first drops of rain. Twenty minutes later, they were evacuated to the field house and then nearby Beechwood Elementary School as a thunderstorm intensified. By 6:15, they were packing up to head home.

A second consecutive day of heavy rain forced the teams to postpone their second meeting of the season. It has been rescheduled for today, with the junior varsity starting at 5 p.m. and varsity at 7. With more storms in the forecast, however, the schedule might need to be adjusted yet again.

“It’s frustrating for both sides,” Warren Central coach Josh Abraham said. “You spend all day getting ready to play a game, and then right at the last second, a storm comes in. It’s always able to happen. We’re built to handle things like this. It should be a fun one tomorrow.”

Tuesday’s rain created more than simple disappointment. It forced both Abraham and Vicksburg coach Ryan Grey to cram another game into an already-packed schedule as the regular season winds down.

Beginning with tonight’s contest, Warren Central is slated to play nine games in the next 13 days. Vicksburg has 10 games in 11 days. Those totals include a make-up game April 12 between WC and Vicksburg that was rained out in March, and another between Vicksburg and Clinton that has yet to be rescheduled. Nearly half of the remaining games for both the Gators and Vikings are division contests.

According to Mississippi High School Activities Association rules, all teams must complete their regular seasons by April 16.

Once Tuesday’s game was called, Grey, Abraham and their respective coaching staffs had a quick meeting in the Beechwood Elementary lobby to discuss options. Dates were mentioned and then dismissed because of schedule conflicts. It’s become a routine for Grey, whose Gators have endured six rainouts this season. Still, he remained optimistic that the delays and compressed schedule will benefit his team in the long run.

“It’s a great opportunity for some young guys to get some playing time that may not have gotten the chance to get some playing time. They can get on the hill and throw some innings. I think in the end, it’ll build character and show where you are as a team,” Grey said.

Warren Central, whose Viking Field has a tarp and drains well, has only been washed out twice. Its only makeup games left are the two against Vicksburg. Abraham was optimistic the teams could play tonight, but wasn’t worried about rescheduling again if they can’t.

“We’ll get it in (Wednesday). As long as it doesn’t rain right before game time, we’ll pull the tarp, sump the water off and it’ll be all right,” Abraham said. “If we get rained out again (Wednesday) we’ll just have to search and find a time to play. The good thing about it is, we’re both in town and we can play it on a Saturday afternoon. It’ll be all right.”