Five Mud Monsters Record Multi-Hit Games to Back Sanchez's Strong Outing
CRESTWOOD, Ill. (July 11, 2026) - The Mississippi Mud Monsters (24-32) returned to the win column Saturday night, evening the series with a deciding 6-2 game two victory over the Windy City ThunderBolts (28-26).
Monster Notes
Sanchez gave Mississippi another strong start, and the lineup stacked hits all night.
- Sergio Sanchez earned the win after allowing one run across 5.2 innings.
- AJ Fritz led the offense with three hits.
- Brayland Skinner, Victor Diaz, Tevis Payne II and Nathan Rose each recorded two-hit games.
- Nathan Rose drove in a run with a ground-rule double in the eighth.
- Brayden Sanders retired the side in order in the ninth to secure the win.
Sanchez on the Road
The right-hander followed his first start with another strong outing.
Coming off his first professional start since 2023, an eight-strikeout, one-hit performance on July 4 against the Florence Y'alls, Sergio Sanchez took the hill for the first time on the road.
Facing a Windy City offense that trampled Mississippi 16-4 in the opener, the right-hander out of San Cristobal, Dominican Republic worked with a lead early after the Mud Monsters opened the scoring in the first.
Brayland Skinner singled and swiped second to begin things before AJ Fritz picked up a base hit to put Mud Monsters on the corners.
Samil De La Rosa followed with a groundball that the ThunderBolts turned into a double play, eliminating both him and Fritz but allowing Skinner to cross and make it 1-0.
Sanchez Escapes
Windy City loaded the bases in the third, but Sanchez got out clean.
In the bottom of the third with two outs, Windy City loaded the bases against Sanchez after two free passes and a hit-by-pitch, but the Mud Monsters starter rebounded to strike out Michael Sandle for the final out and his second strikeout of the inning.
Keeping the ThunderBolts scoreless set up the chance for Mississippi to add to its lead, doing so after Travis Holt was hit by a pitch with one out and Victor Diaz doubled for his second hit of the game to put runners in scoring position for Kyle Booker.
Booker lifted a fly ball to right field deep enough to score Holt and extend the lead to 2-0, and the next batter, Tevis Payne II, followed with an RBI double to plate Diaz and make it 3-0 Mud Monsters.
Bam, 4-0
Mississippi added another run in the fifth.
Sanchez posted another scoreless frame as the Mud Monsters kept their offense rolling in the fifth, gaining a run on a ThunderBolts mistake.
Nathan Rose started off the frame with a single, then with one out, Fritz and De La Rosa picked up consecutive singles to juice the bases for Holt.
Holt made solid contact, lining a ball straight to Windy City starter AJ Campbell, who caught it and threw wildly to second in an attempt to get the inning-ending double play.
The throw sailed into center field for a throwing error, allowing Rose to cross and increase Mississippi's advantage to 4-0.
Windy City Breaks Through
The ThunderBolts scored their first run in the sixth.
Windy City answered in the sixth inning with Victor Cerny drawing a leadoff walk.
The next batter, Daryl Ruiz, hit into a fielder's choice, eliminating Cerny while replacing him at first.
Sanchez tossed a wild pitch to the next batter, Robbie Ayers, allowing Ruiz to move into scoring position, and Ayers followed with a single to plate Ruiz for the ThunderBolts' first run.
After Sanchez allowed another single to Tony Livermore, Dallas Woolfolk entered in relief for the second straight day.
Sanchez finished his day with another strong outing, going 5.2 innings while allowing one run on eight hits, walking three and striking out three.
Defense Helps Woolfolk
The Mud Monsters turned two and Booker added a diving catch.
Woolfolk remained on the bump for a full inning beginning in the seventh and got major assists from the Mud Monsters defense. After a single by Liam McArthur opened the frame, Woolfolk induced a 6-4-3 double play, and for the final out, Booker made an outstretched diving catch to complete the scoreless inning.
Add Two More
Rose and Skinner stretched the lead in the eighth.
The Mud Monsters plated two more for good measure in the top of the eighth after Booker was hit by a pitch from Windy City reliever Carson Plumadore to reach base.
Two batters later with two outs, Rose drilled a ball into left-center field that hopped over the fence for a ground-rule double to score Booker.
Skinner followed with his second hit of the game, an RBI single to score Rose, putting the Mud Monsters up 6-1.
Five Multi-Hit Games
The offense kept pressure on Windy City throughout the night.
Windy City answered with a run of its own in the home half of the eighth against 2026 Frontier League All-Star Chris Barraza.
Cerny, the first batter Barraza faced, drew a walk before the Mud Monsters right-hander struck out the next man looking.
Ayers singled to put runners on the corners, and Tony Livermore picked up a single of his own to score Cerny and make it a 6-2 game.
As their night on offense closed, five different Mud Monsters recorded two or more hits. Fritz led the way with three, and Payne II, Skinner, Rose and Diaz all had two each.
Brayden Sanders took over as the Mud Monsters searched for the final three outs of the game in the bottom of the ninth and retired the side in order, securing the 6-2 win in game two and giving Mississippi the chance for the series win in Sunday's finale.
Full Box Score
Mississippi 6, Windy City 2 - July 11, 2026 at Ozinga Field
Line Score
Mississippi Batting
Windy City Batting
Mississippi Pitching
Windy City Pitching
Box Score Notes
Mississippi extra-base hits: Diaz doubled in the second and fourth. Payne II doubled in the fourth. Booker doubled in the sixth. Rose doubled in the eighth.
RBIs: Mississippi - Skinner, Booker, Payne II, Rose. Windy City - Ayers, Livermore.
Defense: Mississippi turned two double plays. Windy City turned one double play.
Base running: Booker stole his 12th base of the season. Cerny, Ruiz and Urdaneta stole bases for Windy City.
Pitching: Sanchez 97 pitches, 67 strikes. Woolfolk 21 pitches, 15 strikes. Barraza 42 pitches, 28 strikes. Sanders 8 pitches, 7 strikes. Campbell 103 pitches, 67 strikes. Wilcenski 17 pitches, 10 strikes. Plumadore 38 pitches, 28 strikes. Bohnert 23 pitches, 11 strikes.
Game information: Ozinga Field. Saturday, July 11, 2026. First pitch: 6:07 p.m. Final out: 9:17 p.m. Time of game: 3:10. Attendance: 2,320. Weather: 79 degrees. Wind: NNE 13 mph. Official scorer: Chris Gbur.
Up Next
The Mud Monsters conclude their three-game series against the ThunderBolts Sunday afternoon. It will be the final game before the Frontier League All-Star break.
Two right-handers take the mound as Jackson Smith (3-2, 5.52) starts for Mississippi, while Dante Maietta (1-0, 4.38) gets the ball for Windy City. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. CT.
Monster Drops Are Here
The Mud Monsters have launched Monster Drops, a new limited-edition collectible sticker program tied to theme nights, big moments and surprise releases during the 2026 season.
The first drop is Ghost Fish, available July 23 during Midsummer Halloween - Scream 30th Anniversary at Trustmark Park.
Read the Full StoryAbout 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.