LORMAN &045; Just when things finally started going right for Alcorn Saturday, the lights went out.

The actual lights.

Or, to be specific, some of them never came on. The Braves held an 11-8 lead in the top of the sixth in Game 2 of Saturday’s doubleheader with Alabama State when the time came to turn on the lights.

All the infield lights didn’t cut on, and after a good 20 minutes of trying to get them on and deliberating, both teams agreed to suspend the game and resume at noon today before the start of today’s scheduled doubleheader.

Yep, those new lights that were installed before the start of the season.

&uot;I don’t know what’s wrong with them,&uot; ASU head coach Willie &uot;Rat&uot; McGowan said. &uot;We might could have played with it, but it would have taken 15 minutes to get back on. But that’s no excuse. You pay that much money for lights, you’ve got a ball game and they don’t come on? That’s bad. I’m going to try to get somebody down here. We’re supposed to play Grambling Tuesday night.&uot;

The game was suspended with the Hornets rallying, and it came in Game 2 after the Hornets won Game 1, 6-1. The second game, however, had all sorts of drama before the game was suspended.

The game was tight up until the fifth, but both teams combined to score 10 runs in the inning &045; one that featured a bench-clearing incident when Alabama State baserunner Brian Nichols leveled Alcorn catcher Scott Spillars at the plate.

The Hornets took a 7-6 lead in the top half with five runs before Alcorn answered with five of their own for the lead.

&uot;Every time these two teams play, it always boils down to a battle,&uot; Alabama State head coach Larry Watkins said. &uot;It’s always been like that. You’re not going to see anything different tomorrow. It’s going to be the same thing.&uot;

The Hornets were on the verge of taking back the lead before the lights went out. A single by D’Carlo Hughes scored Danny Colon to cut it to 11-8, and reliever Matt Chatwin entered the game in relief of starter Jermaine Clarke with Quinton Urguhart at the plate as the tying run.

Chatwin, however, never threw a pitch. The game will pick up from there today.

The Hornets finally chased Clarke out of there after he was in control the first four innings. Fresh off a weekend win over Jackson State in the Braves’ only win in the series, Clarke, allowed just two hits in the first four innings before things got tough.

Clarke walked Ashley Allen with one out, and Hughley doubled him home. Nichols doubled home Hughley before Urguhart scored on a Samson Ervin single.

The Hornets tried a double steal with Nichols at third and Ervin on first, but shortstop Sly McClain cut it off, chase Ervin back to first before firing to Spillers at home to tag Nichols.

Nichols plowed into the smaller Spillars at the plate, but Spillars held on for the second out of the inning. After both umpires separated both benches, Nichols was ejected and Spillars left the game before being taken to the hospital for X-rays on his nose.

&uot;It’s part of the game,&uot; Watkins said. &uot;I wanted my guy to get home. It’s a shame. The kid was trying to get to the plate.&uot;

Said McGowan &uot;I thought the Alabama State player was wrong when he hit Scott like that. I think that was terrible. We’re not out here to hurt the kids. Whether it’s his kids or our kids, I totally disagree with that.&uot;

Fortunately for the Braves it may have changed the momentum a bit. They got five in the bottom half thanks mostly to the Hornets’ inability to throw strikes. Phillips was hit by a pitch before Derrell Tidwell’s bunt single to load the bases, and Corey Wimberly walked to score Donnie Hollis.

McClain was hit by a pitch to score Phillips for an 8-7 lead, and Caleb Betcharts was hit by a pitch to score Tidwell. Rockeil Thompson then grounded to third, but the throw to home was wild and scored Wimberly and McClain.

That all came with no outs, and that’s when things fell apart for Alcorn. Betcharts went to third on the play and tried to score on a wild pitch, but Colon’s throw to reliever Jamarlin Ford was in time for the tag.

Thompson went to third on the play, and Matt Richter tried to steal second on what appeared to be a double steal. Richter tried to buy some time before getting tagged out at second, and Thompson never left third base.

&uot;That’s what I tell these young coaches &045; it takes you out of your ball game and takes away your momentum,&uot; McGowan said. &uot;Especially with a team we’ve got. But I know we’ll get there. It’s kind of tough, but we’ll keep pounding. Sometimes we play very well, and sometimes we play like we’ve never seen a baseball.&uot;