By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

BILOXI — The ninth annual “Battle at the Beach” wrapped up its 10 day run across the “Southern Six” on Saturday.

A record-setting 83 varsity high school prep baseball teams from six different states converged on the Coast and surrounding areas for the prestigious affair, and for the most part all went well and there weren’t really any weather issues last week.

Until the end that is. On Saturday, in the final day of play, the only varsity game slated was Mobile Christian at St. Stanislaus and that game fell victim to inclement weather predictions and was cancelled.

Let’s take a look back at some of the highlights (and a few low ones as well) from the ninth annual BATB:

The main host of the event every year, Biloxi, enjoyed quite a successful five game run in a week going 4-1 during that span. None of the wins may have been bigger though than when the Indians retained the “Tomahawk Cup” in the featured game on Day Two of the event.

The Indians rallied for two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to pull out an exciting 5-4 win over rival D’Iberville in extra innings at Keesler Federal Park.

Biloxi wrestled away the “Cup” from the Warriors last season 6-3 in the same venue in the same event.

“I’m just really proud of the toughness and grit our guys showed tonight,” Buchanan said. “Even late in the game with our backs up against the wall they continued to fight and compete, and it’s a huge testament to our seniors and their leadership for us to keep fighting as a team until the very last pitch.”

Biloxi trailed 3-2 entering the bottom of the seventh, and was on the verge of dropping this one to DHS before a two-out rally resulted in an RBI-double from Adam Rugg that knotted things up at 3-3 and sent the game into the extra session. Rugg’s hit scored Wyatt Pyron, who began the late game heroics with a double.

In the top of the eighth, D’Iberville’s Ayden Demoran drew a bases loaded walk to put the Warriors back up by one at 4-3. However, he was the only one to respond for DHS after the Warriors got two on with no outs to open the frame.

Once again trailing by a run in a do-or-die situation, the Indians again answered the call loading the bases with no outs. Gage Dalferes, also drew a one-out walk to again tie the contest up at 4-4, before Pyron ended things with a sharp single up the middle to centerfield to make it 5-4.

In the game prior to that one, in a battle of perennial state powers, Catholic High of Baton Rouge, La., broke open a close 2-1 game with a four spot in the top of the seventh en route to a 6-1 win over George County.

The loss was a harbinger of things to come for the Rebels in the event, as they went 1-3 but only by the skin of their teeth as on Day Six (Tuesday) in Lucedale, George County was on the verge of losing not only its fourth straight game but getting run-ruled as well trailing 10-0 to Germantown entering the bottom of the fifth inning.

But the Rebels responded with nine runs in that at bat and three more in the sixth stanza to pull out the almost inexplicable 12-11 win while managing only one extra base hit in the process.

However, the Rebels then proceeded to drop games to Sumrall 12-2 on Thursday and to St. John Neumann Prep of Naples, Fla., 7-1 on Friday night.

Also, Ocean Sprigs proved to be one of the most effective of the over 80 teams involved in the annual affair going 2-0-1 in three home games at Greyhound Park last week.

Ocean Springs produced its third straight solid performance over a three night home-stand Wednesday night in Day Seven play, dispatching perennial state power Oxford 7-3. The Greyhoundsbegan the week with a 3-3 tie with yet another perennial state power Jackson Prep followed by a 3-0 shutout of St. John Neumann out of Naples, Fla, on Tuesday, annually a solid program in the Sunshine State.

In that one, senior standout pitcher Jack Jordan hurled a masterpiece as he twirled a complete game shutout in the 3-0 Greyhound win, striking out seven and scattering five hits while walking none in picking up the win.

And, St. Martin finished up play 2-3 after five games, including falling to Picayune in what turned out to be the final official contest of the 2025 BATB.

The Maroon Tide blanked the Yellow Jackets 4-0 at Keesler Federal Park marking the sixth straight win for the Maroon Tide.

The win pushes Picayune to an impressive 11-2 on the season, while the Yellow Jackets drop to 8-4 overall.

Maroon Tide senior starting pitcher Colt Robertson was in complete control on the mound all evening, as he twirled a five-hit, complete game shutout to pick up the win striking out seven and walking just one in the process.