The backstop at Clearwater's new softball field was among the destruction during the flash floods Tuesday in Piedmont. (Submitted photo) [Click to enlarge]

By BRAD HURT ~ DAR Sports Writer

With the spring softball season set to start and a new field building pride in the Clearwater program the heavy flooding of this week literally washed away the Lady Tigers' home and their spirits.

"The field is a total loss," coach Shannon England said.

The field had just been finished but now the fencing has been ripped from its cement base and the dugouts have collapsed under the weight of the floodwaters.

"The scoreboard and foul poles are all that are left standing," England said of the extensive damage to the field.

With its home destroyed the team must look at other options in order to continue its season. England said the team will probably play at the old softball field that is currently being used by the junior high baseball team.

"We will basically be playing on a baseball field," he said.

England said the school had not double-booked junior high baseball for conference games, which will allow his team to use the field.

All for this weekend have games been canceled but England said he hopes to get back to the field by Monday.

"We're just going day-byday he said.

The city of Piedmont currently has no running water and England said he is not sure when it will be coming back on. He said at least one or two of his players have suffered flood damage to their homes.

The loss of the field hit the players hard, England said.

"I've had several come up to me and say, 'I almost cried (upon seeing the damage),'" he said.

England said the complex by the school, which contains the baseball field, did not appear to be damaged.

Clearwater baseball coach Justin Dobbins said the damage to the town was unlike anything he had ever seen.

"Piedmont was a lake," he said. "Cars were washed in yards, there was a refrigerator up floating down the street downtown."

Doniphan also experienced extensive damage from the flooding. The softball field sits along the Current River and is now under 4 to 5 feet of water, coach Jimbo Blackwell said.

"It's too early to tell (the extent of the damage) but you can only see the roof of the bathrooms right now he said.

Blackwell said that it was impossible to get within one-half mile of the field on Wednesday.

Because of the conditions, Blackwell doesn't like his team's chances of being able to play home games in the near future.

"It's very, very doubtful we'll be able to play," he said. "We'll probably have to go on the road for awhile."

In Poplar Bluff, the soccer team was practicing in Peters Gym today since both their practice facility at Black River Park and the field at Whiteley Park were under water. The Lady Mules' home opener was scheduled for Tuesday but Athletic Director Bill Caputo said it will probably have to be played at West Plains or rescheduled for later in the season.

During the first week of the spring sports season, only two Poplar Bluff sporting events has taken place -- golf played Monday at Ozark Ridge while tennis played Thursday at Dexter.

"We lost some ballgames but there's people that lost their homes and cars and more," Caputo said. "We can always reschedule. I'm really hurting for those people."

Dobbins said he had one player whose basement flooded but otherwise the team was not directly harmed by the flooding. Blackwell said he didn't think members of his team had suffered any damage or loss as a result of the flooding.

Between the wintry weather of the past month and this latest instance of severe weather, the team has lost a lot of practice time and which Dobbins said will games be made up as much as possible.

The Tigers, who are ranked eighth in Class 2, were scheduled to play at Armorel, Ark., on Thursday and Dobbins said they would even try to reschedule that game.

In the wake of this event, Dobbins said his team's focus is on the community rather than getting back on the playing field.

"Baseball is super important to us, but people's lives are more important than that," he said. "We're just praying for the people who were affected and thankful no one was killed."