By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

MOSS POINT — The Moss Point High School baseball team travels to Pass Christian Wednesday night to open Region 8-4A play.
But the Pirates won’t be the toughest opponent that this Tiger team had to face this season, nor will any other squad Moss Point meets on the diamond.
The fiercest foe the Tigers have had to deal with in the current campaign blew through Moss Point in mid-June, when a destructive EF-2 tornado left damage in many areas of the city. That included the long-time home field for the Tigers located just off Bellview Street.
The brutal storm caused extensive damage to several of the MPHS athletics venues, including the football stadium and gymnasium. But while those teams were able to recover and play all of their home games in those spots, the Tiger baseball team wasn’t so lucky as the tornado has left the squad as a team without a home this season.

“Our field sustained significant damage, and it is really sad that our seniors will not be able to play their senior season on their cherished home field,” Moss Point head coach Julius Bridges said Tuesday. “Despite this setback, we’re committed to take advantage of this demanding circumstance and continue encouraging and supporting our team as we work through this trying period.”

The home team dugout was completely blown away, as was the press box which stood for at least 40 years. Much of the stands for the seating was taken out as well, as was all of the fencing all around the field and of course the safety netting.

And while home plate and first base remain, the pitching rubber on the mound is gone with the wind as well.
The Tigers haven’t been able to even practice on the damaged facility, having to move that aspect of their season to the ballpark in Helena. They have played 12 games so far in the current campaign in six different counties over two different states.
Moss Point will play most of its region “home” games at Tillman Field in Pascagoula beginning Friday night when Pass Christian makes the return trip to complete the home and home series.

“My team has persisted in fighting by competing and turning up every day despite these difficulties,” Bridges added. “We are appreciative that the Pascagoula- Gautier Athletic Department and the Jackson County Recreation Department let us use their facilities for practice and games.”
Moss Point is coming off its second win of the season, thumping Williamson High at Mimms Park in Mobile Monday night 17-2.
Kevon Ford had a game-high three hits including a double in that win for MPHS, and he also drove in a game-high four runs. Kaylan Ford chipped in a pair of hits and a pair of RBIS to the winning effort, and Jaylen Nettles did the same. Aiden Evans, Marcus Matthews and Nettles each collected a double as well in the winning 11-hit attack.

“The lack of a home field can have several effects on a team’s preparation for region play,” Bridges concluded. “For us it has been challenging. Without a home field, my team misses out on familiarity, which can often impact their performance. Without a home field, we are required to travel more which leads to fatigue and just affects the overall performance of the team. However, we are adapting and overcoming all the challenges.”
The Tigers also picked up a win over Murphy High in Mobile a few weeks back, and will head back to Hattiesburg for the third time this season to face Sacred Heart for the first time this year after dropping a pair of games to Hattiesburg High early in the season.
After the series with the Pirates ends this week, Moss Point still has Bay High, Greene County and Poplarville to face in Region 8-4A play. They also will make yet another trip to Mobile to meet Vigor High in a few weeks as well as adding three more counties in South Mississippi for those aforementioned league contests to their travel plans before the regular season wraps up.