Stormy weather here in Bridgeport brought the Indians' baseball game with Liberty High School to an early close. In neighboring towns, however,  tonight’s weather did some major damage.

 

Several Bridgeport residents were in Taylor County this evening for a Bridgeport Middle School softball game at Grafton High School. But even before the softball action got started, a hail storm hammered the area, doing damage to several vehicles.

 

“Everyone had smashed windshields, sunroofs and major dents all over,” said Patti Lily Cook, one of several BMS softball parents who were there. 

 

Denise Merica said it was the biggest hail she had ever seen. Not quite softball size, it was at least as big as a golf ball.

 

“It was crazy,” she said. “We were supposed to play around 6 p.m. The girls got done warming up and it started to thunder, so we had to wait. The girls went to dugouts and we just stood around. A big black cloud came and you could hear the hail. Some people took off to cars while others took cover in the batting cages with the girls.”

 

Merica said she and her family were in the batting cages. The hail lasted for several minutes, she said.

 

“I did not even think about our cars. Every car had busted windshields, tons of dents,” she said. “We all drove back to the (Bridgeport) middle school in shock of what we just saw. God is good because we were all safe.”

 

It was an expensive softball game, but vehicles can be replaced and no one was hurt. That’s the important thing, Merica said.

 

“Needless to say, the game was not played, but it will be a game we will never forget,” she said.

 

Some of the parents said they saw houses and other structures which were damaged in the hailstorm. Some other area towns reported hailstorms, as well. Areas include Shinnston and Doddridge County. Read more about last night's hail storm at this WDTV news report.

 

Bridgeport Fire Department advises that there were no local storm-related calls this evening. 

 

See some photos below of the hail and the damage it did to vehicles. Photos courtesy of Patti Cook, Denise Merica and Ralph Morris. Send your photos to info@connect-bridgeport.com. Video below is courtesy of Denise and John Merica.