Skinner Collects Four Hits; Mud Monsters Fall to Otters 7-5
PEARL, Miss. (July 25, 2026) - Despite a four-hit day by Brayland Skinner and a solo home run by Kyle Booker, the Mississippi Mud Monsters (27-38) fell to the Evansville Otters (38-25) by a 7-5 final Saturday night.
Monster Notes
Skinner kept hitting, Booker went deep, but Evansville’s four-run fifth inning stood as the difference.
- Brayland Skinner finished 4-for-5 with three doubles and three runs scored.
- Kyle Booker went 2-for-5 with a solo home run, two RBIs, two runs scored and his 18th stolen base of the season.
- Victor Diaz drove in two runs with a pair of RBI singles.
- Joshua Shelly added two hits, including a double.
- Jackson Smith worked four scoreless innings out of the bullpen, allowing three hits while striking out four.
Walsh Opens the Night
Evansville struck first in the opening inning.
After dropping the previous two matchups in the series, the Mud Monsters turned to left-hander John Walsh for the start.
Making his second home start of the season, the southpaw out of Colorado surrendered a leadoff hit to Jon Ponder and a walk to Amani Jones to put two men on. Ponder advanced to third after stealing second base.
The next batter, Logan Brown, grounded out to score Ponder, allowing Evansville to strike first for the fifth time in five games.
Mississippi Answers Right Away
Skinner, Booker and Fritz pushed the Mud Monsters in front.
Mississippi responded immediately after Brayland Skinner lined a double into right field to begin the bottom of the first, and Kyle Booker followed with an RBI single to tie the game at 1-1.
After Booker swiped second for his third stolen base of the series and 18th of the season, AJ Fritz followed with an RBI single to score Booker and give Mississippi a 2-1 lead.
Trading Runs
Both teams answered each other through the middle innings.
After both offenses went scoreless in the second inning, Evansville tied the game in the third on a two-out solo home run by Dennis Pierce.
Mississippi answered with a run of its own in the bottom of the third when Skinner led off with his second hit of the day. After Fritz added a base hit of his own, Skinner advanced to third.
Victor Diaz capitalized on the runners-at-the-corners opportunity with an RBI single to put the Mud Monsters back in front, 3-2.
Evansville once again found an answer in the top of the fourth. After Sam Linscott was hit by a pitch, he stole second before TJ Salvaggio grounded out to shortstop, moving Linscott to third. Ponder followed with a game-tying RBI single to make it 3-3.
Four-Run Fifth
The Otters took control with a big inning.
After Walsh surrendered a leadoff single to Marcos Gonzalez in the fifth inning, manager Jay Pecci turned to Dallas Woolfolk out of the bullpen.
Inheriting the baserunner from Walsh, Woolfolk allowed an RBI single to the first batter he faced, Dennis Pierce, giving Evansville a 4-3 lead.
With his final inherited runner coming around to score, Walsh finished his outing after four innings, allowing four runs on six hits while walking three and striking out two.
A walk to Blake Robertson followed, pushing Pierce into scoring position before Woolfolk induced a ground-ball double play to record the first two outs of the inning while moving Pierce to third.
Woolfolk then uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Pierce to score and extend Evansville’s lead to 5-3.
With the bases empty, Linscott and Salvaggio collected consecutive singles before advancing into scoring position on Woolfolk’s second wild pitch of the inning.
Ponder drove in his second and third runs of the game with a two-run single to make it 7-3 Evansville and cap a four-run fifth inning.
Booker Goes Yard
The left fielder cut into the deficit in the fifth.
In the home half of the inning, the Mud Monsters got a run back on Booker’s solo home run, his seventh of the season, trimming the deficit to 7-4.
Smith Gives Mississippi a Chance
The right-hander held Evansville scoreless over the final four innings.
Jackson Smith took over for Woolfolk in the sixth and tossed a scoreless inning to hold Evansville at seven runs.
Despite a two-out double by Joshua Shelly, the Mud Monsters were unable to push another run across in the bottom of the sixth.
Smith remained on the mound in the seventh and turned in a second consecutive scoreless inning, giving Mississippi another opportunity to chip away.
Diaz Drives in Another
Mississippi trimmed the deficit to two in the seventh.
After Evansville went to its bullpen for the first time and brought in reliever Dylan Zentko, Skinner led off the seventh with his second double of the day before Diaz delivered his second RBI single of the game to cut the deficit to 7-5.
With Mississippi inching closer, Smith continued into the eighth and ninth, adding two more scoreless innings to finish with four scoreless frames while allowing three hits and striking out four.
Unfortunately for the Mud Monsters, the offense was held scoreless over the final two innings.
Mississippi’s best chance came in the bottom of the ninth after Skinner picked up his fourth hit and third double of the day to begin the inning.
Despite the late opportunity, Nate Wohlgemuth recorded the save as Evansville secured a 7-5 victory, its third consecutive win in the series.
Full Box Score
Evansville 7, Mississippi 5 - July 25, 2026 at Trustmark Park
Line Score
Evansville Batting
Mississippi Batting
Evansville Pitching
Mississippi Pitching
Box Score Notes
Evansville extra-base hits: Robertson doubled in the third. Pierce homered in the third.
Mississippi extra-base hits: Skinner doubled in the first, seventh and ninth. Shelly doubled in the sixth. Booker homered in the fifth.
RBIs: Evansville - Ponder 3, Brown, Pierce 2. Mississippi - Booker 2, Fritz, Diaz 2.
Hit by pitch: Linscott was hit by Walsh.
Defense: Evansville turned one double play. Mississippi turned one double play and committed one error.
Base running: Ponder stole two bases and Linscott stole one for Evansville. Booker and Payne II each stole bases for Mississippi.
Pitching: Cerda 90 pitches, 63 strikes. Zentko 23 pitches, 18 strikes. Valdez 13 pitches, 10 strikes. Wohlgemuth 16 pitches, 10 strikes. Walsh 75 pitches, 41 strikes. Woolfolk 26 pitches, 12 strikes. Smith 56 pitches, 39 strikes.
Game information: Trustmark Park. Saturday, July 25, 2026. First pitch: 6:01 p.m. Final out: 8:57 p.m. Time of game: 2:56. Attendance: 2,206. Weather: 92 degrees. Wind: 6 mph WSW.
Up Next
The Mud Monsters wrap up their six-game series against the Otters on Sunday evening.
The game marks another 601 Sunday, highlighted by Chef Markelius serving a limited-edition $15 meal in the Farm Bureau Grill & Outdoor Patio featuring grilled catfish, mac and cheese, salad, green beans and Mississippi Mud Pie, available while supplies last. Kids Run the Bases will take place following the game.
Evansville and Mississippi will send their Game 1 starters back to the mound as Brian Williams (2-6, 6.03) gets the ball for the Mud Monsters, while Garret Simpson (6-1, 4.42) starts for the Otters.
One More Against Evansville
A six-game series finale, a Mississippi-built meal and kids running the bases after the game.
The Mud Monsters close the Evansville series Sunday evening before welcoming the Schaumburg Boomers to Trustmark Park next week.
601 Sunday
Close the Evansville series with 601 Sunday and a limited-edition meal in the Farm Bureau Grill & Outdoor Patio from Chef Markelius.
The $15 meal includes grilled catfish, mac and cheese, salad, green beans and Mississippi Mud Pie, available while supplies last.
Gates: 5:00 PM
First Pitch: 6:01 PM
Kids Run the Bases
Stick around after the game. Kids Run the Bases will take place following the series finale against Evansville.
Sunday nights are built for families, last laps around the bases and one more memory before the week resets.
Schaumburg Comes to Town
The homestand continues with the Schaumburg Boomers, including Emo Night, Golden Ticket Night - 55 Years of Willy Wonka, Fireworks Friday and the Teal Jersey Giveaway presented by Atmos Energy.
View Upcoming GamesFinish the Weekend in the Swamp
One more Evansville game. One more Sunday meal. One more chance for kids to run the bases after the final out.
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.