ThunderBolts Silence Mud Monsters Bats in Series Finale
CRESTWOOD, Ill. (May 21, 2026) - The Mississippi Mud Monsters (6-6) saw their high-flying offense stifled for the first time this season as the Windy City ThunderBolts (8-5) cruised to a 3-0 victory to avoid a series sweep.
Monster Notes
Mississippi had traffic all afternoon, but Windy City kept the Mud Monsters off the board.
- Tevis Payne II collected two hits in his professional debut.
- Hunter Belton allowed one run across five innings while striking out two.
- Mississippi drew seven walks but stranded 11 runners on base.
- Windy City turned two double plays behind singles from Payne II.
Traffic Early
The Mud Monsters put runners aboard in the first but could not cash in.
Mississippi managed just three hits against ThunderBolts pitching, two of which came from catcher Tevis Payne II in his professional debut.
The Mud Monsters were not lacking baserunners throughout the afternoon; the issue was bringing them home. Windy City handed Mississippi seven free baserunners, but the Mud Monsters stranded 11 men on base.
It looked like Mississippi might break through in the first inning after Brayland Skinner drew a leadoff walk and Travis Holt followed with a one-out free pass to put two aboard.
Skinner advanced to second and third during the next two at-bats but was ultimately left stranded.
Belton Battles
The right-hander gave Mississippi five strong innings in his second start.
Five innings, one run
On the mound, Hunter Belton made his second start in the teal and black and delivered five innings of one-run ball on five hits while striking out two and walking two.
Belton’s lone earned run came on a Daryl Ruiz RBI single in the third inning to put the ThunderBolts ahead 1-0.
Windy City Adds On
The ThunderBolts stretched the lead in the seventh.
Braden Forsyth entered in the sixth and tossed a scoreless inning before continuing his outing into the seventh, where Windy City loaded the bases with one out. Michael Sandle then delivered a two-run single to extend the ThunderBolts lead to 3-0.
A third Windy City runner attempted to score on the play but was thrown out trying to advance from first to third.
Double-Play Trouble
Payne II reached twice, but Windy City erased the threat both times.
Both singles by Payne II were followed by ground balls off the bat of Slater Schield that turned into Windy City double plays, one in the fifth inning and another to end the seventh.
Final Push
Mississippi loaded the bases in the ninth but could not break through.
Mississippi mounted one final threat in the ninth after back-to-back walks issued by Windy City reliever Carter Delaney allowed Nathan Rose and Payne II to reach base.
ThunderBolts manager Tom Carcione then turned to Zach Cameron, who hit Schield with his first pitch to load the bases for the top of the Mississippi order.
Brayland Skinner flew out for the inning’s second out before Kyle Booker, with his 19-game multi-season hitting streak on the line, grounded out to end the game.
Road Ahead
The Mud Monsters now continue their road trip in Schaumburg, Illinois for a three-game series against the Boomers.
As of writing, no starting pitchers have been announced for either side. First pitch at Wintrust Field is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT.
Final Box Score
The full numbers from Mississippi’s 3-0 loss to Windy City.
Line Score
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | LOB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 11 |
| Windy City | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | X | 3 | 8 | 0 | 7 |
Mississippi Batting
| Player | AVG | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | PO | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skinner, CF | .296 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Booker, RF | .222 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Holt, 3B | .340 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Holman, 1B | .350 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
| Furr, LF | .421 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Bocchino, DH | .188 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Rose, 2B | .214 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Payne II, C | .667 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| Schield, SS | .314 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Totals | 28 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 24 | 8 |
Windy City Batting
| Player | AVG | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | PO | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grant, CF | .250 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Sandle, LF | .426 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Ruiz, 1B | .235 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 |
| Cerny, C | .311 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0 |
| Pena, RF | .314 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Beebe, 3B | .293 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Serratos, DH | .135 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Dunlap, SS | .255 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Urdaneta, 2B | .333 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Totals | 30 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 27 | 11 |
Mississippi Pitching
| Pitcher | ERA | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | BF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belton L | 2.00 | 5.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 21 |
| Forsyth | 11.74 | 2.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 |
| House | 17.05 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Totals | 8.0 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 0 |
Windy City Pitching
| Pitcher | ERA | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | BF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Figueredo W | 4.02 | 5.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 23 |
| Plumadore HLD | 5.91 | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Lovell HLD | 0.00 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Delaney | 0.00 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Cameron SV | 2.25 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Totals | 9.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 0 |
Batting
Mississippi: HBP: Holman, Booker, Schield. GIDP: Schield 2. DP: Schield-Holman. SB: Skinner 2, Booker, Holt.
Windy City: 2B: Sandle, Urdaneta. RBI: Sandle 2, Ruiz. GIDP: Cerny. DP: Dunlap-Ruiz; Dunlap-Urdaneta-Ruiz. SB: Sandle.
Pitching
Pitches-Strikes: Belton 86-49, Forsyth 41-24, House 18-11; Figueredo 89-49, Plumadore 17-11, Lovell 22-11, Delaney 11-3, Cameron 3-2.
Batters Faced: Belton 21, Forsyth 9, House 4; Figueredo 23, Plumadore 4, Lovell 5, Delaney 3, Cameron 3.
Wild Pitches: Belton 1.
Game Information
Venue: Ozinga Field. Date: Thursday, May 21, 2026. Start: 10:37 a.m. Final: 1:09 p.m. Time of Game: 2:22. Attendance: 2,888.
Weather: 56 degrees. Wind: ENE 10.
Umpires: HP Andrew Bernius, 1B Caleb Groom, 3B Jordan Alfonzo.
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.