Trio of Homers Not Enough as Florence Takes Series
FLORENCE, Ky. (May 14, 2026) - Despite home runs from Jack Holman, Brayland Skinner and Kyle Booker, the Mississippi Mud Monsters (3-3) fell to the Florence Y’alls (2-4) by a score of 8-5 and dropped their first three-game series of the season.
The Mississippi offense continues to score early and often. Six games and two series into the year, the Mud Monsters have scored five or more runs in every game this season and have been the first team to score in every matchup.
Monster Notes
Three swings left the yard, but Florence answered late to take the series.
- Jack Holman opened the scoring with a solo home run in the second inning.
- Brayland Skinner hit his first home run of the season as part of back-to-back shots in the sixth.
- Kyle Booker followed Skinner with a solo homer for the second back-to-back home run moment in team history.
- Slater Schield collected three hits and drove in a run for Mississippi.
Final Score
Mississippi hit three home runs, but Florence took Thursday night’s series finale.
Early Power
Holman’s first-pitch swing gave Mississippi the first lead.
Brian Williams, making his second start of the year, would have an early lead by the second inning. Jack Holman led off the frame by turning around Evan Webster’s first pitch of the inning and sending it over the right-field wall for a solo home run.
Kasten Furr followed with a single and Landon Wallace walked to put two Mud Monsters aboard. Slater Schield then delivered the first of his three hits on the night, plating Furr to make it 2-0 Mississippi.
Florence Answers
The Y’alls used traffic on the bases to take the lead.
Blomquist puts Florence ahead
Florence answered in the bottom half of the inning after loading the bases before Williams could record an out. With Y’alls runners on every base, the right-hander walked in Florence’s first run of the game.
Williams regrouped and struck out the next batter, but after falling behind Brett Blomquist two balls and one strike, the Florence shortstop delivered a two-run single to give the Y’alls a lead they would not surrender.
The Mud Monsters starter escaped the second inning with Mississippi trailing by just one run, but after Florence loaded the bases once again in the third, a wild pitch extended the Y’alls lead to 4-2.
Florence Adds On
A two-run shot in the fifth stretched the Y’alls lead.
Both teams went scoreless in the fourth inning and, after retiring the first two batters in the fifth, Williams appeared poised for his second consecutive scoreless frame. However, a Keenan Taylor single was followed by a Marcus Brodil two-run home run to extend the Florence lead to 6-2.
Tristan House relieved Williams to record the final out of the fifth inning. Williams finished the day with four strikeouts while allowing six runs on eight hits and three walks.
Back-to-Back
Skinner and Booker brought Mississippi back within one swing.
The Mud Monsters pulled the game within one in the sixth inning after Schield singled for his third hit of the night with one away.
With two outs and the lineup turning back over, Brayland Skinner took a first-pitch fastball from Chase Hopewell, flicked his bat out and allowed the wind to do the rest. The two-run shot, Skinner’s first of the year, cut the deficit to 6-4.
One pitch later, the deficit was down to one. Kyle Booker drove Hopewell’s 1-0 offering into right-center field for back-to-back home runs and a 6-5 score. Skinner and Booker’s consecutive homers marked the second occurrence of back-to-back home runs in team history.
Back-to-Back Home Runs
Momentum Stalls
Mississippi kept it close, but Florence created separation in the seventh.
Mississippi’s newfound momentum would only last an inning.
Florence was held scoreless in the bottom of the sixth as House picked up two strikeouts, including one swinging against Sergio Gutierrez and another looking against Taylor, to keep the Mud Monsters within striking distance.
The Mud Monsters threatened again in the seventh after Kasten Furr singled with one out, but Mississippi stranded him on base as the inning came to a close.
Schield Defensive Gem
Series Slips Away
Florence added two in the seventh and held on from there.
Things unraveled in the bottom of the seventh after Marcus Brodil opened the inning by lining a comebacker off Tristan House. The Mud Monsters reliever out of Florida remained in the game after being checked on by pitching coach Kurt Takahashi and trainer Marc Osbourne.
Brodil moved to second on a pitch that got away from Mud Monsters catcher Gray Bane before holding there as Blomquist grounded into a 5-3 putout for the first out of the inning.
Jackson Tucker followed with an RBI single to score Brodil and extend the Florence lead to 7-5.
Tucker then stole second base but was forced to hold as a dropped third strike was completed for the inning’s second out.
In the next at-bat, Tucker broke for third on a passed ball that Bane could not handle. After corralling it, Bane attempted to throw Tucker out at third, but the ball sailed into left field as Tucker trotted home to make it 8-5.
Manager Jay Pecci turned to Seth McCartney out of the Mud Monsters bullpen. The Brandon, Mississippi native struck out Zade Richardson swinging to record the final out of the inning.
Final Push
Mississippi brought the top of the order up in the ninth, but Florence closed it out.
Mississippi was retired in order in the top of the eighth as Nathan Rose grounded out before Schield and Samil De La Rosa each flew out to end the frame.
McCartney pitched a scoreless bottom half of the inning while recording his second strikeout of the night.
Down to their final three outs with the top of the order due up, Skinner and Booker recorded the first two outs before Travis Holt reached on a single. Holman then grounded out to end the ballgame as Florence secured the series victory with an 8-5 final score.
Road Ahead
The first quarter of the Mud Monsters’ 12-game road trip is complete as the road trip continues tomorrow in Lake Erie.
The three-game series against the Crushers begins May 15 with first pitch scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET. Left-hander Art Joven (1-0, 3.60) gets the start for Mississippi while Lake Erie turns to right-hander Corbin Foy.
Final Box Score
The full numbers from Mississippi’s 8-5 loss in Florence.
Line Score
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | LOB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 8 |
| Florence | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | X | 8 | 14 | 0 | 11 |
Mississippi Batting
| Player | AVG | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | PO | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skinner, DH | .500 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Booker, CF | .259 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Holt, 3B | .240 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Holman, 1B | .400 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Furr, LF | .444 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Wallace, RF | .000 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Rose, 2B | .143 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Schield, SS | .412 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Bane, C | .000 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 1 |
| De La Rosa, PH | .231 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Semo, C | .200 | |||||||||||
| Totals | 38 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 24 | 7 |
Florence Batting
| Player | AVG | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | PO | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tucker, CF | .250 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Zeisler, 1B | .360 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 |
| Bobo, RF | .269 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Richardson, DH | .333 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Broussard, 3B | .353 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Gutierrez, C | .071 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
| Taylor, 2B | .222 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Brodil, LF | .182 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Blomquist, SS | .300 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Totals | 38 | 8 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 27 | 11 |
Mississippi Pitching
| Pitcher | ERA | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | BF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Williams L | 6.52 | 4.2 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 27 |
| House | 14.54 | 2.0 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 |
| McCartney | 0.00 | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Totals | 8.0 | 14 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 1 |
Florence Pitching
| Pitcher | ERA | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | BF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Webster W | 5.00 | 5.0 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 24 |
| Hopewell | 40.50 | 1.0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Whitesell HLD | 1.69 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| McEvoy SV | 2.08 | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Totals | 9.0 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 3 |
Batting
Mississippi: HR: Holman, Skinner, Booker. RBI: Skinner 2, Booker, Holman, Schield. GIDP: Wallace. SB: Furr, Schield. CS: Skinner.
Florence: 2B: Richardson, Bobo. 3B: Bobo. HR: Brodil. RBI: Tucker, Taylor, Brodil 2, Blomquist 2. HBP: Broussard, Richardson. DP: Blomquist-Taylor-Zeisler. SB: Tucker.
Pitching
Pitches-Strikes: Williams 116-67, House 40-24, McCartney 15-9; Webster 100-64, Hopewell 15-12, Whitesell 14-11, McEvoy 25-16.
Batters Faced: Williams 27, House 12, McCartney 4; Webster 24, Hopewell 6, Whitesell 3, McEvoy 7.
Wild Pitches: Williams 1, House 3.
Game Information
Venue: Thomas More Stadium. Date: Thursday, May 14, 2026.
Umpires: HP Jeff Osborne, 1B Henry Schmulewitz, 3B Rudy Bosque.
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.