Mud Monsters California Dreamin’ as Golden State Talent Propels Mississippi to Series Win
PEARL, Miss. (May 9, 2026) - Move over California Girls, because the California Mud Monsters are undeniable as well. Jack Holman, Andrew Semo and Landon Wallace each shined at the plate while Art Joven delivered a strong first start to lead the Mississippi Mud Monsters (2-1) to a 9-4 win over the Gateway Grizzlies (1-2).
Monster Notes
A little California sunshine powered Mississippi to its first series win of 2026.
- Andrew Semo went 3-for-4 with five RBIs to lead the Mud Monsters offense.
- Jack Holman went 3-for-4 with an RBI and scored three runs.
- Kyle Booker extended his hitting streak to 11 games, the longest in Mud Monsters history.
- Art Joven tossed five strong innings, allowing two runs on two hits in his first start for Mississippi.
Full Box Score
Want the full line from Saturday night? Dive into the numbers from Mississippi’s 9-4 series-clinching win.
Joven Sets the Tone
The California native gave Mississippi five strong innings in his first start.
Things started on the mound as Bakersfield, California native Art Joven made his first start for Mississippi. Used primarily as a reliever after joining the Mud Monsters late in the 2025 season, Joven tossed five strong innings while striking out three Grizzlies, walking three and allowing two runs on just two hits.
California Connection
Holman, Wallace and Semo helped Mississippi strike first.
Semo starts the scoring
The Mud Monsters struck first in the home half of the second inning. With Gateway starter Jake Burcham making his first appearance against Mississippi, Fontana, California native Jack Holman led off the frame with a single to get things rolling. Then, with one away, Jackson Nicklaus lined a single of his own to reach base as well.
Roseville, California native Landon Wallace then reached on a fielder’s choice after Gateway unsuccessfully tried to turn two, moving Holman to third on the play. Wallace then swiped second, and San Diego native Andrew Semo’s big day began as he ripped a two-run single up the middle to score both Wallace and Holman, giving Mississippi a 2-0 lead.
Five-Run Third
After Gateway tied it, Mississippi answered with its biggest inning of the afternoon.
Gateway answered with two runs of their own in the top of the third to knot the game at 2-2, but Mississippi erupted for five runs in the home half of the inning.
In his second at-bat of the game, Brayland Skinner drew a leadoff walk, which was followed by a Kyle Booker single to put the first two Mud Monsters aboard. With the hit, Booker extended his hitting streak to 11 games dating back to Aug. 23, 2025, the longest streak in Mud Monsters history.
One batter later, with one out, Holman lined his second single of the game into right field to score Skinner and give Mississippi the lead back at 3-2.
Kasten Furr followed with an RBI single of his own to score Booker and double the Mud Monsters lead.
Nicklaus then walked to load the bases, prompting Gateway to turn to Xander Lovin out of the bullpen. The first Mississippi batter Lovin faced, Wallace, lifted a sacrifice fly deep enough to bring Holman home and extend the lead to 5-2.
With runners still at the corners in Furr and Nicklaus, the stage was set for Semo to collect RBI No. 3, which he did with another RBI single to make it 6-2.
Slater Schield then walked to reload the bases, and Skinner capped off the inning by drawing a bases-loaded walk to score Nicklaus and push the lead to 7-2.
Defense Answers
A clean double play helped Mississippi protect the lead.
Gateway threatened in the top of the fifth inning, but a smooth 4-6-3 inning-ending double play turned by Nicklaus, Schield and Holman preserved Mississippi’s five-run advantage.
Tristan House made his first appearance out of Mississippi’s bullpen as manager Jay Pecci called upon him in the sixth inning. The 2026 Frontier League Draft pick tossed a scoreless sixth before running into trouble in the seventh.
After retiring Tate Wargo for the first out of the inning, House issued back-to-back walks to Victor Castillo and Mark Shallenberger, resulting in the Mud Monsters turning to Jackson Smith out of the bullpen.
With Castillo advancing to third after Semo’s throw on a stolen-base attempt skipped into the outfield, Dale Thomas hit an RBI single to drive in a run before Bryson Horne followed with an RBI double to score Shallenberger and cut Mississippi’s lead to 7-4. Both runs were charged to House.
Semo Seals It
Mississippi answered right back and pushed the lead to five.
The Mud Monsters answered right back in the bottom half of the inning. Holman led things off with his third hit of the day before Nicklaus was hit by a pitch, setting the stage for Semo once again.
Semo lined a pitch into left-center field for his third hit of the day, scoring Holman and collecting his fourth RBI of the night. The hit was bobbled by Gateway center fielder Cole Brannen, who then fired a wild throw home. Heads-up baserunning by Nicklaus and Semo allowed a second run to score as Semo advanced to second, extending the Mississippi lead to 9-4.
The score would hold as Chris Barraza entered out of the bullpen and got the job done, securing the 9-4 victory and a series win for Mississippi.
Road Ahead
The Mud Monsters will hit the road for the next two weeks with three-game series stops in Florence, Lake Erie, Windy City and Schaumburg.
Mississippi returns to Trustmark Park on Memorial Day, May 25, for a series against the Tri-City ValleyCats. Fans can catch all the action on HomeTeamNetwork with broadcaster Colton Martinez on the call throughout the 2026 season.
Currently, no starting pitchers have been announced for the upcoming road series.
About the Mississippi Mud Monsters
Baseball Lives Here. It Just Got a Little Weirder.
The Mississippi Mud Monsters are a professional baseball team based in Pearl, Mississippi, competing in the Frontier League. Built in the mud and rooted in Mississippi, the Mud Monsters believe baseball should be unapologetically fun, a little weird, wildly welcoming, and deeply tied to the place it calls home. Real baseball. Real people. This is swamp-built, Mississippi-made baseball, where the vibes matter just as much as the final score.