Crushers Take Control Early; Offense Struggles as Mud Monsters Fall 13-2
PEARL, Miss. (June 24, 2026) - The Mississippi Mud Monsters (16-25) were stifled by Edwin Sanchez as the Lake Erie Crushers (18-23) ran away with a 13-2 victory Wednesday evening.
Monster Notes
Fritz tripled home Mississippi's second run, Skinner collected two hits, and Furr scored on aggressive baserunning.
- AJ Fritz tripled home Travis Holt in the sixth inning.
- Brayland Skinner finished 2-for-4 from the leadoff spot.
- Andrew Semo doubled in the ninth inning.
- Kasten Furr scored Mississippi's first run after a walk, stolen base, throwing error and wild pitch.
- Jase Schueller made his professional debut out of the bullpen.
Crushers Jump Ahead
Lake Erie scored four runs before Mississippi came to the plate.
Mississippi fell into an early four-run hole after Lake Erie connected on three consecutive RBI singles by Pavin Parks, Jacob Tobias and Luis Acevedo following back-to-back walks to begin the game.
Later in the same frame, with one out, Jarrod Watkins lifted a sacrifice fly deep enough to score Tobias and extend the Crushers' lead to 4-0.
Brayland Skinner singled for a leadoff base hit to begin Mississippi's first offensive chance but was left stranded.
Furr Manufactures One
The Mud Monsters scored without a hit in the second.
The answer for the Mud Monsters' offense came without recording a hit. A one-out walk to Kasten Furr culminated in a run after Furr stole second and Lake Erie catcher Nick Chavez's throw sailed into center field, allowing Mississippi's right fielder to advance to third.
Now 90 feet away, after a two-out walk to Samil De La Rosa put runners on the corners, a wild pitch on Sanchez's first offering to Andrew Semo skipped to the backstop and allowed Furr to score.
The aggressive baserunning marked the second consecutive game a Mud Monsters runner scored on a wild pitch after Slater Schield accomplished the feat in the fourth inning of Tuesday's opener.
Lake Erie Pulls Away
The Crushers added runs in the third and fifth.
Now a 4-1 ballgame, Lake Erie created more distance between itself and the Mud Monsters with two runs coming off back-to-back RBI singles by Watkins and Samuel Benjamin to make it 6-1.
Smith's outing came to an end after four innings.
Southpaw Gage Bihm took over in the fifth. A run came in after a one-out single by Watkins and a one-out double by Benjamin put both men in scoring position before a fielder's choice allowed Nick Chavez to reach first and increase the lead to 7-1.
Triple Fritter
Fritz brought home Mississippi's second run in the sixth.
After Bihm tossed a scoreless sixth, the Mud Monsters finally got to Sanchez in the bottom of the inning.
A one-out single by Travis Holt was followed by an RBI triple from AJ Fritz that made it 7-2 and chased Sanchez from the game.
Holt's single was Mississippi's first hit since Skinner's leadoff single in the opening inning.
Crushers Finish It
Lake Erie scored six more runs across the seventh and eighth.
Lake Erie put the game out of reach in the seventh as two bases-loaded walks with two outs by Bihm and professional debutant Jase Schueller brought home runs eight and nine to make it 9-2.
Schueller's professional debut continued into the eighth inning, but he was unable to record an out after issuing a walk, allowing a single and another walk to load the bases.
Watkins continued his big day with a two-run double to make it 11-2.
The next batter, Benjamin, added his second RBI single of the day to push the advantage to 12-2.
Braden Forsyth entered with the bases loaded and allowed a sacrifice fly to Sebastian Alexander that brought home the 13th and final run of the game. The run was charged to Schueller.
Forsyth finished the final two innings scoreless as the Crushers secured the 13-2 victory.
Full Box Score
Lake Erie 13, Mississippi 2 - June 24, 2026 at Trustmark Park
Line Score
Lake Erie Batting
Mississippi Batting
Lake Erie Pitching
Mississippi Pitching
Box Score Notes
Lake Erie extra-base hits: Benjamin doubled in the fifth. Watkins doubled in the eighth.
Mississippi extra-base hits: Semo doubled in the ninth. Fritz tripled in the sixth.
RBIs: Lake Erie - Alexander 2, Redfield, Parks, Tobias, Pike, Acevedo, Watkins 4, Benjamin, Chavez 2. Mississippi - Fritz.
Base running: Lake Erie stolen bases - Alexander 2, Parks. Mississippi stolen bases - Furr, De La Rosa.
Fielding: Lake Erie double play - Watkins-Acevedo-Tobias. Lake Erie error - Chavez. Lake Erie passed ball - Chavez. Mississippi double plays - Knotts-Fritz; Schield-Fritz-Knotts. Mississippi error - Schield.
Pitching: Sanchez 92 pitches, 53 strikes. Scafidi 17 pitches, 12 strikes. Chabot 16 pitches, 9 strikes. Hargrove 9 pitches, 7 strikes. Smith 82 pitches, 50 strikes. Bihm 51 pitches, 23 strikes. Schueller 27 pitches, 11 strikes. Forsyth 25 pitches, 20 strikes.
Game information: Trustmark Park - Pearl, Mississippi. Wednesday, June 24, 2026. First pitch: 6:33 p.m. Final out: 9:48 p.m. Time of game: 3:15. Attendance: 1,027. Weather: 79 degrees. Wind: 6 mph W. Official scorer: Bobby Gross.
Up Next
The Mud Monsters continue their six-game series against the Crushers Thursday evening. It will be Ode to the Hot Dog presented by Kayem. It is also Thirsty Thursday featuring $2 16-ounce domestic drafts and a Beer Batter. Additionally, there will be Postgame Adults Run the Bases.
Left-hander Eric Elliott (0-1, 3.00) gets the start for Mississippi while Lake Erie counters with southpaw Brandon Scott (1-2, 4.42). First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT, and gates open at 5:30 p.m. CT.
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.