By MAURICE SINGLETON/Sports Writer

BILOXI — For the third straight day, the main host Biloxi High will have action in the annual Battle of the Beach on Monday.
But as the ninth annual event begins its final six-day stretch for 2024, for the first time this year five other venues will host games today as the annual affair really gets rolling.
In addition to the Biloxi High Sports Complex, Vancleave, Ocean Springs, Gulfport, Long Beach and Hancock will also join the party as hosts beginning Monday.
A full schedule for Day Four is attached to this story.

A total of 16 varsity games involving five “Southern Six” squads will be contested on Monday, the most action by far in the current event. Biloxi will once again be back at home as a host team taking on Etowah (Ala.) High at 7 p.m..
This comes on the heels of a recent short trip south over the weekend to MGM Park for the Indians as they took on neighboring rival D’Iberville in the annual “Battle for the Tomahawk Cup”.
The featured game Monday night in the BATB sees Ocean Springs host powerful Jackson Prep. That contest is one of five games involving members of the MidSouth Association of Independent Schools from the Jackson area that will descend on the Gulf Coast over the next few days, as other featured games Monday night include Vanceave hosting Madison Ridgeland Academy and Gulfport hosts Hartfield Academy. Jackson Academy also faces Senatobia in Long Beach at 7 p.m., Monday night while Hancock hosts St. Joesph’s Academy at 7:00 as well.
Also, The only thing that stopped visiting Mountain Brook (Ala.) during its three-day trip to the Gulf Coast was the weather.
The Spartans moved to 12-1 overall on the season with a 5-3 win over home-standing Gulfport at Herbert Wilson Field Saturday afternoon in third day action at the annual Battle at the Beach. It marked Mountain Brook’s third straight win in a three day span, with one day and one game washed away due to wet field conditions.

In addition to Biloxi’s win over D’Iberville that kicked off play at MGM Park on Saturday, Pascagoula fell to a herd of Mustangs from the Lone Star state as Houston Christian punched the Panthers 10-0 in five frames in the final game at MGM Park in Biloxi.
Pascagoula fell to 4-6 overall with the loss, as the Mustangs ran roughshod over a trio of Panther pitchers.
Biloxi scalped neighboring rival D’Iberville 6-3. The contest, the featured match-up on day three of the annual Battle at the Beach, was the first of four meetings between the Region 4-7A foes this season but the decision won’t count in the league standings.
The Indians moved to 6-3 with the win, while the Warriors dropped to 3-5 overall. The game was originally slated to be played Friday night but was pushed back a day due to wet field conditions.
Trailing 1-0 after two terms, the Indians took control of the game with three runs in each of the third and fourth frames to go up 6-1.