OXFORD, MS — Louisiana Tech scored twice in the top of the seventh to take a 5-4 lead over No. 4-ranked Ole Miss Wednesday night at Oxford-University Stadium and Swayze Field … but the weather ended the rally and, after a delay of more than two hours, stopped the game.

Rain was light but lightning was the main problem, although it was rarely visible from the stadium. Inclement weather put a stop to Wednesday's game and officials will determine later whether play will be resumed.

If it is not, Ole Miss would win as the Rebels led 4-3 during the final complete inning, which was the sixth.

Tech won the opener of the two-game series 6-5 Tuesday. Tech was 5-3 going into Wednesday's game and Ole Miss was 6-2.

(Statement from the LA Tech Athletics department)
 
Here was the scoring before weather hit

Ethan Bates, who earned his second save of the year with a 1-2-3 ninth in Tuesday's win, homered to center to give Tech a 1-0 l

In the fourth, Tech made it 3-0, also off the long ball. Walker Burchfield, the senior DH from up the road at Clinton, hit a first-pitch bomb to right center to drive home Jorge Corona, who'd walked.

But the Bulldogs couldn't get the shutdown inning in the bottom of the fourth when Ole Miss, averaging 11 runs a game through its first seven, got the bats going and put up its first multi-run inning of the series. Kemp Alderman led off with his fourth homer of the year, then hot hitting Anthony Calarco walked; that was all for Tech righty Nick Fraginals, the freshman from Miami getting his first start.

With Alec Sparks on in relief, the Rebs got a walk and, with runners on second and third after a wild pitch, Peyton Chatagnier singled on a 2-2 pitch to score both runners and tie it at 3-3. Freshman All-America lefty Ryan Harland got the final out.

Reb center fielder Ethan Groff (.357, 13 RBI and 10 hits in eight games) homered off Harland for a 4-3 Ole Miss lead in the fifth before Tech scored twice in the seventh prior to the rain and lightning.

In the top of the seventh, Logan McLeod doubled, took third on a wild pitch and scored on a Bates sacrifice fly, his second RBI of the game. A hustling Brody Drost scored when Dalton Davis spanked a 1-2 pitch off the wall in right center for a 5-4 Tech lead.

The standstill came with Corona at the plate, the count 2-0, Davis on third and two outs.

LA Tech returns to the Love Shack for single games Friday (6 p.m.), Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (noon) against Northwestern of the Big 10 Conference.