Early Deficit Too Much to Overcome as Otters Top Mud Monsters 8-1
PEARL, Miss. (July 24, 2026) - Held scoreless through 6.2 innings, the Mississippi Mud Monsters (27-37) were unable to overcome an early deficit in an 8-1 loss to the Evansville Otters (37-25) Friday evening.
Monster Notes
Evansville jumped ahead early and held Mississippi quiet until the seventh.
- Kyle Booker finished with three hits and drove in Mississippi’s lone run.
- Brayland Skinner reached three times with two hits, a walk and two stolen bases.
- Sergio Sanchez worked six innings, allowing five runs while striking out five.
- Tristan House worked a scoreless ninth inning out of the bullpen.
- Evansville recorded five extra-base hits, including a triple from Trey Bridges.
Sanchez Gets the Start
The right-hander made his first start against Evansville this season.
Looking to rebound from a shutout loss in game three, the Mud Monsters turned to right-hander Sergio Sanchez for the start.
In his last start at Trustmark Park, and his first since 2023, the San Cristobal, Dominican Republic, native was elite, retiring the first 11 Florence batters he faced.
Pitching against the Otters for the first time this season, Sanchez took the bump and his first offering was grounded past a diving Joshua Shelly and into left field for a base hit.
Otters Jump Ahead
Evansville scored four runs in the opening inning.
Amani Jones followed with a single of his own, and Ponder moved to third to put runners on the corners for the Otters.
The next batter, Logan Brown, dropped a sacrifice bunt down the first-base line that Sanchez fielded, but Ponder crossed with the first run of the game to make it 1-0 Evansville.
Marcos Gonzalez singled to put runners on the corners with one out before Dennis Pierce drew a walk to load the bases.
Drey Dirksen tacked on two with a two-run double, and Sam Linscott added an RBI on an infield hit to make it 4-0 before the inning was over. After Sanchez walked his second batter of the inning to load the bases for the second time, he got a timely double-play ground ball off the bat of TJ Salvaggio to end the inning.
Early Chance Stalls
Mississippi loaded the bases in the first but could not cash in.
The Mud Monsters threatened to answer in their first opportunity at the plate after Brayland Skinner drew a walk and stole second and third.
Evansville starter Ryan Wiltse then loaded the bases by walking Travis Holt and Karell Paz with two outs.
Victor Diaz worked the count full but took a pitch that home plate umpire Jose Muriente called strike three, thwarting Mississippi’s chance at a rally.
Evansville Adds One
The Otters extended the lead in the third.
Evansville was held scoreless in the second but resumed extending its lead in the top of the third.
Pierce drew a walk to begin the inning and moved to second on a groundout before coming around to score Evansville’s fifth run on Linscott’s second RBI base hit of the day.
Kyle Booker picked up the first hit for Mississippi to lead off the bottom of the third inning and moved all the way to third after AJ Fritz drew a walk.
Travis Holt grounded into a double play that advanced Booker to third, but Wiltse escaped the inning without allowing a run.
Booker Keeps Swinging
The left fielder added another hit in the fifth.
With two outs in the bottom of the fifth, Booker softly hit a ground ball to third that he beat out for both his second hit and Mississippi’s second hit of the day.
The next batter, Fritz, put good wood on the ball but lined out to second to end the inning.
Sanchez completed six innings of work, going deeper than any of his previous starts while allowing five runs on eight hits, walking four and striking out five.
Bridges Clears the Bases
Evansville broke the game open in the seventh.
Braden Forsyth entered out of Mississippi’s bullpen and walked the first batter he faced before allowing Dirksen to double for his second two-base hit of the game, putting the Otters in scoring position.
One batter later, with one out, Bridges lined Forsyth’s offering into right field over Tevis Payne II’s head for a bases-clearing triple to make it 7-0 Evansville.
Bridges tagged from third on a fly ball down the right-field line by the next batter, Salvaggio, and scored to extend Evansville’s advantage to 8-0.
Scoring Drought Ends
Booker drove in Payne II in the seventh inning.
The Mud Monsters’ scoring drought came to an end after 15.2 innings in the bottom of the seventh.
Payne II reached on a one-out walk and, one batter later with two outs, Brayland Skinner lined a single up the middle for the Mud Monsters’ third hit of the day, moving Payne II to third.
Booker followed with his third hit of the day, an RBI single into right field to cut the deficit to 8-1.
Forsyth continued his relief outing into the top of the eighth and tossed a 1-2-3 inning to send the game to the home half of the frame.
Otters Finish It
Mississippi loaded the bases in the ninth but could not extend the rally.
Chase Kriebel entered for the bottom of the eighth and retired the Mud Monsters in order, carrying the game into the ninth.
Tristan House replaced Forsyth in the top of the ninth, and Pierce started the inning with a single.
House then induced a 4-6-3 double play, Fritz to Shelly to Paz, for the first two outs of the inning.
The next batter, Linscott, grounded a ball to Shelly, who fired wide of first, allowing Evansville to gain a two-out baserunner.
Bridges followed with a double to put the Otters in scoring position, but House ended the inning without allowing a run.
Kriebel remained on the mound for the bottom of the ninth as the Mud Monsters came to the plate for their final chance.
With one out, Payne II singled to reach, and during Shelly’s at-bat, Kriebel worked the count full before leaving the game after feeling unwell.
Nolan Thebiay entered in relief for Evansville and struck out Shelly for out number two before Skinner singled for his second hit of the day and Booker drew a walk to load the bases.
Despite the late threat, Thebiay recorded the final out to secure the second consecutive win for the Otters by an 8-1 final.
Full Box Score
Evansville 8, Mississippi 1 - July 24, 2026 at Trustmark Park
Line Score
Evansville Batting
Mississippi Batting
Evansville Pitching
Mississippi Pitching
Box Score Notes
Evansville extra-base hits: Dirksen doubled in the first and seventh. Bridges doubled in the fifth and ninth. Bridges tripled in the seventh.
RBIs: Evansville - Brown, Dirksen 2, Linscott 2, Bridges 2, Salvaggio. Mississippi - Booker.
Hit by pitch: Brown and Salvaggio were both hit by Sanchez.
Defense: Evansville turned one double play. Mississippi turned two double plays and committed one error.
Base running: Skinner stole two bases and Booker stole one for Mississippi. Gonzalez stole his fourth base for Evansville.
Pitching: Wiltse 108 pitches, 59 strikes. Morissey 40 pitches, 23 strikes. Kriebel 21 pitches, 17 strikes. Thebiay 12 pitches, 6 strikes. Sanchez 108 pitches, 58 strikes. Forsyth 37 pitches, 20 strikes. House 14 pitches, 11 strikes.
Game information: Trustmark Park. Friday, July 24, 2026. First pitch: 6:35 p.m. Final out: 9:45 p.m. Time of game: 3:10. Weather: 92 degrees. Wind: 5 mph SW.
Up Next
The Mud Monsters continue their six-game series against the Otters on Saturday evening.
The game will feature Back-to-School Night, highlighted by a special Mud Monsters-themed backpack giveaway for the first 1,000 kids ages 14 and under. The promotion is presented by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi. Kids Run the Bases will also take place following the game.
Southpaw John Walsh (1-1, 3.24) gets the start for Mississippi, while Junior Cerda (2-0, 3.12) starts for Evansville.
Two More Nights Against Evansville
Backpacks, kids running the bases and one more 601 Sunday before the homestand rolls into next week.
The series continues Saturday with Back-to-School Night before closing Sunday with 601 Sunday.
Back-to-School Night
The first 1,000 kids ages 14 and under receive a special Mud Monsters-themed backpack courtesy of Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi.
The BadgePass Lil’ Monsters Club officially launches, and kids can run the bases after the game.
Gates: 5:00 PM
First Pitch: 6:01 PM
601 Sundays
Close the Evansville series with 601 Sunday and a limited-edition meal in the Farm Bureau Grill & Outdoor Patio from Chef Markelius.
The meal includes grilled catfish, mac & cheese, salad and green beans for $15.
Gates: 5:00 PM
First Pitch: 6:01 PM
Finish the Weekend in the Swamp
Backpacks on Saturday. Sunday meal on Sunday. Baseball both nights.
View This Week’s GamesBadgePass Lil’ Monsters Club
The BadgePass Lil’ Monsters Club is free for kids 14 and under and includes tickets to four featured Mud Monsters games.
Learn MoreAbout 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.