At 4:20 p.m. today, the sun shone brightly and the temperature rose to nearly 80 degrees in Oxford. It was a perfect spring day.
An hour later, a heavy rain shower forced the cancellation of a scheduled 5 p.m. baseball game between Miami and the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Clouds crept over Hayden Park around 4:30 p.m., and a lightning strike at 4:36 p.m. caused both squads to vacate the field. Due to NCAA rules, teams can’t be on the playing surface for 30 minutes after there’s lightning within an eight-mile radius.
The RedHawks and Buckeyes never reappeared from their dugouts.