Eighth Inning Run Propels Mud Monsters Over Y'alls
PEARL, Miss. (July 3, 2026) - The Mississippi Mud Monsters (21-28) took their third straight series opener, beginning a three-game set against the Florence Y'alls (25-22) with a 4-3 comeback victory.
Monster Notes
Furr drove in the go-ahead run, Sanders bridged the late innings and Barraza slammed the door.
- Kasten Furr drove in two runs, including the go-ahead sacrifice fly in the eighth.
- Brian Williams worked 6.2 innings, allowing three runs while striking out four.
- Brayden Sanders struck out the first batter he faced on three pitches and earned the win.
- Chris Barraza recorded the save with a scoreless ninth inning.
- Mississippi picked up its first one-run victory of the season.
Williams Opens Strong
The right-hander set the tone with a clean first inning.
Brian Williams took the hill looking for his third consecutive victory and second during the Mud Monsters' twelve-game homestand.
The right-hander out of Bryan, Texas tossed a 1-2-3 first inning to allow Mississippi to strike in their first offensive chance.
Two-Out Rally
The Mud Monsters jumped out to a two-run lead in the first.
The lumber rallied with two outs after Travis Holt walked and Samil De La Rosa singled to put Mud Monsters on the corners for Kasten Furr, who came into the matchup 6-for-10 against the Y'alls from the road series in May.
The success for Furr continued at home as he singled up the middle to score Holt and make it a 1-0 Mississippi advantage.
After Tevis Payne II drew a walk to load up the bases, Andrew Semo was hit by a pitch to bring in the second Mud Monsters run for a 2-0 lead.
Florence Answers
The Y'alls tied it with a two-run second inning.
Florence immediately answered in the top of the second with a single by Brendan Bobo being followed by Garrett Broussard reaching on a fielder's choice. The play eliminated Bobo, but with Broussard now on first, a walk to Tyler Shaneyfelt put two men on.
A wild pitch uncorked by Williams pushed both runners into scoring position, and after getting a flyout for the second out of the inning, Dillon Baker took the first offering he saw and pulled it into left field. The ball one-hopped the fence for a ground-rule double to score both runs and knot the score at 2-2.
Through the Netting
Mississippi took the lead again in the most incredible way.
The Mud Monsters offense got gifted a run in the most incredible way to go up for the second time in the bottom of the third.
Things began with a leadoff double by Holt before the first wild pitch by Florence starter Casey Bargo during De La Rosa's second at-bat moved Holt to third.
One pitch later, the second wild offering from Bargo went through the netting and ended up in the hands of a fan to allow Holt to score for the second Mud Monsters lead of the day with a 3-2 advantage.
Florence Ties It Again
Back-to-back triples evened the game in the seventh.
The one-run lead maintained until the seventh inning when Baker smashed a one-out triple to left field for his second extra-base hit of the day.
After Williams struck out Kyle Harbison, Milo Rushford followed with a triple of his own to score Baker as Florence tied the ball game for the second time.
With the score now 3-3, Mississippi skipper Jay Pecci opted to bring in Brayden Sanders from the bullpen.
Williams ended up going 6.2 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out four and walking one man.
Furr Delivers Again
The Mud Monsters used speed and a sacrifice fly to take the lead for good.
Sanders only needed three pitches to strike out Zade Richardson, holding Rushford at third and keeping the game tied. The rookie remained on the bump for the top of the eighth and picked up his second strikeout in a full scoreless inning of work.
In the home half of the eighth frame, De La Rosa began things with his 14th double of the year.
Vantrel Reed replaced Mississippi's designated hitter at second as Pecci opted for speed on the bases.
The replacement paid off as Reed took third on a wild pitch from Florence reliever Travis Phelps to put the go-ahead runner 90 feet away and set the stage for Furr's fourth trip to the plate.
Mississippi's second baseman drove a ball to center field that was deep enough to bring in Reed, putting the Mud Monsters up and searching for the final three outs.
Barraza Slams It Shut
The closer finished Mississippi's first one-run win of the year.
Chris Barraza was the man chosen for the job out of the Mississippi bullpen. Two groundouts allowed the Mud Monsters closer to pick up the first two outs before he iced Baker with a strike three called to end the opener with a 4-3 victory.
The win marked the first one-run victory for Mississippi this season and the third straight series-opening win during the twelve-game homestand.
Full Box Score
Mississippi 4, Florence 3 - July 3, 2026 at Trustmark Park
Line Score
Florence Batting
Mississippi Batting
Florence Pitching
Mississippi Pitching
Box Score Notes
Florence extra-base hits: Baker doubled in the second and tripled in the seventh. Rushford tripled in the seventh.
Mississippi extra-base hits: Holt doubled in the third. De La Rosa doubled in the eighth.
RBIs: Florence - Rushford, Baker 2. Mississippi - Furr 2, Semo.
Base running: Florence stolen bases - Shaneyfelt 2. Mississippi stolen base - Furr. Skinner was caught stealing.
Pitching: Bargo 110 pitches, 69 strikes. Phelps 46 pitches, 25 strikes. Williams 98 pitches, 62 strikes. Sanders 11 pitches, 9 strikes. Barraza 10 pitches, 8 strikes.
Game information: Trustmark Park - Pearl, Mississippi. Friday, July 3, 2026. First pitch: 6:31 p.m. Final out: 9:18 p.m. Time of game: 2:47. Attendance: 3,311. Weather: 86 degrees. Wind: 3 mph SE.
Up Next
The Mud Monsters continue their homestand Saturday evening, wrapping up the series with the Florence Y'alls with a special Fourth of July Doubleheader. Both games will be seven-inning matchups. There will be a postgame Independence Day Fireworks Extravaganza presented by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi, Mississippi Farm Bureau and the City of Pearl.
Mississippi will send southpaw Art Joven (4-2, 5.02) to the hill in game one and right-hander Sergio Sanchez (0-0, 0.00) in game two. Florence counters with left-handed starters in both games as Isaac Milburn (2-3, 6.03) takes game one and Jonaiker Villalobos (1-2, 6.34) starts the nightcap. First pitch for game one is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. CT, and the second game will begin about 30 minutes after the final out in game one is recorded.
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.