Booker Homers, Capping Off Four-Hit Day in Loss to Y’alls
FLORENCE, Ky. (July 18, 2026) - Despite a four-hit day from Kyle Booker, the Mississippi Mud Monsters (25-34) offense could not find success until it was too late, resulting in a 6-3 series-clinching victory for the Florence Y’alls (30-28).
Monster Notes
Booker stayed hot, Sanchez struck out eight, but Florence built enough early separation.
- Kyle Booker went deep in the ninth inning to cap a four-hit day.
- Booker hit his sixth home run of the season.
- Sergio Sanchez struck out eight across five innings, including a strikeout of the side in the fourth.
- Jackson Smith worked three innings out of the bullpen.
- Slater Schield doubled in the ninth inning as Mississippi tried to rally late.
Sanchez Gets the Ball
The right-hander entered with a team-best ERA after two strong outings.
Since beginning his 2026 campaign after being activated off the Visa Inactive List, Sergio Sanchez has logged a team-best 0.77 ERA in 11.2 innings pitched. His first start since 2023 came in the July 4 nightcap of the doubleheader against the Y’alls at Trustmark Park.
Holding Florence batters to one hit and one unearned run in that first start of the year, the San Cristobal, Dominican Republic native took to the mound at Thomas More Stadium looking to post another dominant outing.
Florence Strikes Early
The Y’alls jumped in front with runs in each of the first two innings.
Unlike Friday night’s opener, the Mud Monsters started from behind after Brett Blomquist reached on a one-out single and Hank Zeisler connected on the first offering he saw from Sanchez for a two-run home run to put the Y’alls up 2-0.
Florence added to its advantage in the second inning when Tyler Shaneyfelt led things off with a walk and stole second base.
After Sanchez picked up a flyout for the first out of the frame, the right-hander issued his second walk of the inning to Kyle Harbison.
Shaneyfelt then swiped third to come within 90 feet of scoring and crossed the plate to make it 3-0 Florence after Blomquist reached on a slow grounder to shortstop Joshua Shelly.
Sanchez picked up a strikeout of Zeisler, but catcher Victor Diaz could not hold onto the pitch, resulting in Zeisler reaching on a dropped third strike to extend the inning.
Garrett Broussard followed with a two-run double to score Harbison and Blomquist, making it a 5-0 Florence lead.
Sanchez Settles In
After the early scoring, Sanchez answered with three scoreless frames.
After Florence’s first two scoring innings, Sanchez settled in, tossing the next three frames scoreless while striking out the side in the bottom of the fourth on his way to eight strikeouts.
Sanchez’s final line included five innings, allowing five earned runs on eight hits while walking two and striking out eight.
Jackson Smith took the ball from Sanchez out of the Mud Monsters bullpen for the bottom of the sixth inning, tossing a scoreless frame to get the game to the seventh.
Mississippi Gets on the Board
The Mud Monsters broke through in the seventh.
With only two hits to this point off Y’alls starter Evan Webster, both coming off the bat of Booker, Mississippi’s fortune turned as Florence brought reliever Max Whitesell into the game.
With one away, Travis Holt drew a walk, and Booker singled for his third hit of the day to put two Mississippi baserunners aboard.
One batter later with two outs, Whitesell uncorked back-to-back wild pitches. The first came after issuing a full-count walk to Shelly, and the second came to open Slater Schield’s at-bat, allowing Holt to cross with Mississippi’s first run.
Zeisler Adds Another
Florence pushed the lead back to five in the eighth.
Smith followed his scoreless sixth inning with more of the same in the seventh and remained on the hill for the bottom of the eighth.
After retiring the first two Florence batters to come to the plate, Zeisler went opposite field for his second home run of the game, a solo blast that cleared the left-center field fence to increase the deficit to 6-1.
Booker Goes Deep
The outfielder capped his four-hit day with a ninth-inning blast.
Down to their final three outs with Logan Jones entering the game for Florence in the top of the ninth, Holt reached with a single to begin things before Booker smashed a two-run home run for his fourth hit of the day and his sixth big fly of the season to cut Florence’s lead in half at 6-3.
Jones recorded the first out of the inning before Shelly followed with a one-out double to reach scoring position, resulting in Florence manager Toby Hall opting to bring in Aiden McEvoy for a second straight night.
McEvoy picked up the final two outs to shut the door on the Mud Monsters’ comeback and secure the series win with a 6-3 final.
Game Summary
Florence 6, Mississippi 3 - July 18, 2026 at Thomas More Stadium
Line Score
Game Notes
Mississippi extra-base hits: Booker homered in the ninth. Shelly doubled in the ninth.
Florence home runs: Zeisler hit a two-run home run in the first and a solo home run in the eighth.
Mississippi offense: Booker finished with four hits and two RBIs.
Pitching: Sanchez struck out eight across five innings. Smith worked the final three innings for Mississippi.
Game information: Thomas More Stadium. Saturday, July 18, 2026.
Up Next
The Mud Monsters conclude their three-game series against the Y’alls Sunday afternoon.
Southpaw John Walsh (1-0, 3.60) gets the start for Mississippi, while Florence counters with right-hander Nathan Lawson (2-1, 6.75). First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET / 12:05 p.m. CT.
Lil’ Monsters, Monster Drops & $2 Tacos
There is a lot happening at Trustmark Park, and your next reason to get to the swamp might already be on this list.
The BadgePass Lil’ Monsters Club is back, Monster Drops are coming, Taco Tuesday starts July 21, and more day-game options are available for groups.
BadgePass Lil’ Monsters Club
The BadgePass Lil’ Monsters Club is open to children 14 and under. Each member receives a personalized club ID and one child ticket to each of four designated Mud Monsters games.
Family tickets for parents, siblings, grandparents and other family members are not included and must be purchased separately.
Learn More
Monster Drops Are Coming
Monster Drops are limited-release collectible stickers tied to select theme nights, big moments and surprise releases throughout the season.
First Drop: Ghost Fish on Thursday, July 23 during Midsummer Halloween - Scream 30th Anniversary.
Each Monster Drop is limited to 500 stickers. Fans can receive one sticker per transaction with any in-person ticket purchase at the Trustmark Park box office on the day of the drop.
Read Full Story$2 Taco Tuesday
Beginning Tuesday, July 21, every remaining Tuesday home game at Trustmark Park will feature $2 Taco Tuesday alongside Bingo Madness.
Choose between pulled pork or chicken soft tacos. Both come with cheese, lettuce and queso for $2 each.
- Tuesday, July 21 vs Evansville Otters
- Tuesday, July 28 vs Schaumburg Boomers
- Tuesday, August 11 vs Washington Wild Things
- Tuesday, August 25 vs Windy City ThunderBolts
Youth, Senior & Group Days
Looking for something during the day? The Mud Monsters have youth, senior and business-friendly options coming up at Trustmark Park.
- Wednesday, July 22: Youth & Senior Day plus Swamp Splash before the game.
- Wednesday, July 29: Youth & Senior Day at 11 AM.
- Wednesday, August 26: Field Trip Day and another day-game group opportunity.
$16 Youth & Senior Day tickets include a hot dog, chips and Pepsi. Swamp Splash runs from 9:30 AM to 11 AM on July 22.
View Youth & Senior DaysEvansville Comes to the Swamp July 21-26
The next homestand includes Taco Tuesday, Youth & Senior Day with Swamp Splash, Midsummer Halloween, 90s Night Fireworks Friday, Back to School Night and 601 Sunday.
Tickets are available now at mudmonstersbaseball.com or by calling 601-664-7600.
Get TicketsAbout 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.