Smith Settles Into Quality Outing as Mud Monsters Take Series Against ThunderBolts
CRESTWOOD, Ill. (July 12, 2026) - The Mississippi Mud Monsters (25-32) took the final series before the 2026 All-Star Break with a 4-2 victory in the finale against the Windy City ThunderBolts (28-27).
Monster Notes
Smith settled in, the offense broke through late, and Mississippi took the series before the break.
- Jackson Smith earned the win with a quality start, allowing two runs over seven innings.
- Karell Paz drove in a run in his first at-bat of his 2026 debut.
- Brayland Skinner had two hits, two stolen bases and an RBI.
- Joshua Shelly and Nathan Rose delivered RBI singles in Mississippi's three-run seventh inning.
- Connor Langrell retired the side in the ninth to secure the save and the series victory.
Smith Gets the Start
The right-hander returned to the mound as a starter after pitching earlier in the road trip.
Jackson Smith pitched out of the bullpen earlier this road trip, tossing three innings while allowing one run in Tuesday's opening game against the Joliet Slammers.
Sunday afternoon, he returned to the hill as a starter against the ThunderBolts looking to help pitch Mississippi to a series victory.
The right-hander out of Raymond, Mississippi worked with a lead to begin things as the Mud Monsters scored first for the third straight game.
Paz Strikes First
The outfielder drove in a run in his first at-bat of his 2026 debut.
Brayland Skinner started things for the offense with a single and stole second, but Windy City catcher Victor Cerny's throw on a stolen-base attempt sailed offline, allowing Skinner to take third.
One batter later with one out, making his 2026 debut, Karell Paz picked up his first RBI of the year in his first at-bat to open the scoring and give the Mud Monsters a 1-0 lead.
Windy City Answers
The ThunderBolts scored twice in the first before Smith settled in.
In Smith's first frame on the hill, location problems resulted in three walks, including back-to-back free passes to Michael Sandle and Liam McArthur to begin his outing.
Jared Beebe followed with an RBI double to tie the game at 1-1 before a walk to Justin Fogel loaded the bases.
Smith picked up the first two outs of the inning on a ground-ball double play hit by Victor Cerny, but McArthur was able to cross and put the ThunderBolts up 2-1.
Mississippi Threatens
Skinner created another chance in the third.
The Mud Monsters threatened with two outs in the top of the third after Skinner picked up his second hit of the day, stole his second base of the afternoon, and AJ Fritz walked to put two men on.
Paz lifted a deep fly ball into right field, but Sandle was able to glove it and end the inning.
Three-Run Seventh
The Mud Monsters broke through against the Windy City bullpen.
Held scoreless since the first inning by Windy City starter Dante Maietta, Mississippi's luck took a turn in the top of the seventh when the ThunderBolts went to their bullpen with southpaw Justin Lovell.
Kyle Booker picked up a base hit and stole second to begin things before Tevis Payne II was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second.
Both men moved into scoring position on a successful double steal before Joshua Shelly picked up his first hit of the series with a clutch RBI single to score Booker and tie the game at 2-2.
The lumber kept pushing as Nathan Rose followed with a run-scoring base hit of his own to give Mississippi its first lead of the day at 3-2.
Still with no outs in the inning and runners on the corners, Skinner grounded a ball to shortstop James Dunlap that Windy City tried to turn into a double play, but Skinner reached first safely and allowed Shelly to cross for an insurance run, making it a 4-2 Mud Monsters lead.
Smith Settles In
The right-hander turned a rocky first into his third quality start.
Smith settled into the ballgame following Windy City's two-run first inning, turning it into his third quality start while going the deepest into a game this season.
The right-hander tossed seven innings, allowing two runs on six hits while issuing five walks and striking out one.
Brayden Sanders, pitching in his second straight game, entered for the bottom of the eighth and tossed a scoreless inning to carry the 4-2 Mississippi advantage into the ninth.
Langrell Locks It Down
The Mud Monsters closed the win and the series.
Connor Langrell emerged from the Mud Monsters bullpen and locked down the save, the win, and the series victory over the first-place ThunderBolts, sending Mississippi into the All-Star Break.
Full Box Score
Mississippi 4, Windy City 2 - July 12, 2026 at Ozinga Field
Line Score
Mississippi Batting
Windy City Batting
Mississippi Pitching
Windy City Pitching
Box Score Notes
Mississippi RBIs: Skinner, Paz, Shelly and Rose.
Windy City extra-base hit: Beebe doubled in the first inning.
Defense: Mississippi turned two double plays. Windy City turned one double play and committed one error.
Base running: Skinner stole two bases, while Paz, Holt, Booker and Payne II also stole bases for Mississippi. Skinner was caught stealing once. Serratos was caught stealing for Windy City.
Pitching: Smith 77 pitches, 49 strikes. Sanders 19 pitches, 13 strikes. Langrell 14 pitches, 9 strikes. Maietta 84 pitches, 57 strikes. Lovell 31 pitches, 18 strikes. Cameron 11 pitches, 7 strikes. Delaney 15 pitches, 8 strikes.
Game information: Ozinga Field. Sunday, July 12, 2026. First pitch: 1:05 p.m. Final out: 3:30 p.m. Time of game: 2:25. Attendance: 1,088. Weather: 86 degrees. Wind: NE 10 mph. Official scorer: Chris Gbur.
Y'all-Star Game
Thomas More Stadium, home of the Florence Y'alls in Florence, Kentucky, is the site of this year's All-Star festivities, with the game set to be played on July 15.
Dubbed the "Y'all-Star Game," fans can watch outfielder Brayland Skinner and closer Chris Barraza take the field live on Home Team Network.
Up Next
Following the Frontier League All-Star Break, the Mud Monsters return to action on Friday, July 17, opening a three-game road series against the Florence Y'alls.
First pitch is scheduled for 7:03 p.m. ET / 6:03 p.m. CT. At the time of writing, no starting pitchers have been announced.
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.