Evansville Wins Back-and-Forth Finale, Takes Series Over Mud Monsters
PEARL, Miss. (July 26, 2026) - In a series finale featuring the two teams tying on three separate occasions, the Mississippi Mud Monsters (27-39) were ultimately bested by the Evansville Otters (39-25), who scored a late-inning run to hand Mississippi a 5-4 loss.
Monster Notes
The finale kept swinging back and forth before Evansville pushed ahead in the ninth.
- Brayland Skinner went 4-for-5 with a triple and a run scored.
- Vantrel Reed went 3-for-3 with a run scored after being activated from the Injured List.
- Tevis Payne II doubled, scored and made a tough catch in foul territory.
- Victor Diaz threw out a runner attempting to steal second in the eighth inning.
- Brian Williams worked six innings, allowing four runs on seven hits while striking out four.
Williams Returns to the Hill
The right-hander made his second start of the series against Evansville.
Looking to at least guarantee a series split, the Mud Monsters sent Brian Williams to the hill for the second time in the six-game set.
In Tuesday’s opener, the right-hander out of Texas turned in the deepest start by a Mud Monsters pitcher this season, tossing 7.2 innings while allowing two unearned runs on three hits, walking none and striking out six.
Sunday evening’s finale started with Jon Ponder reaching on an error by third baseman Vantrel Reed.
Ponder then stole second base before Dennis Pierce grounded a ball into the hole that Joshua Shelly threw late on, and first baseman Karell Paz was unable to handle the throw.
The error by Paz pushed Ponder to third and put runners on the corners before Williams uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Evansville to take an early 1-0 lead.
Williams responded by striking out the next two Otters batters to end the inning and give Mississippi its first opportunity on offense.
First Chance
Booker reached in the first, but Mississippi could not cash in early.
Despite Kyle Booker picking up a one-out single and moving to second on a passed ball before advancing to third by tagging on a fly ball from AJ Fritz, the Mud Monsters were held scoreless in the bottom of the first by Evansville starter Garret Simpson.
Williams tossed his second consecutive scoreless inning in the top of the third with help from Tevis Payne II, who made a spectacular catch in foul territory down the right-field line.
Payne II chased down Dennis Pierce’s fly ball while slamming into the wall for the second out of the inning.
Mud Monsters Tie It
Back-to-back hits and a bunt single loaded the bases in the third.
Mississippi answered in the bottom half after Shelly and Reed collected back-to-back singles before Brayland Skinner dropped down a bunt single to load the bases for Booker.
Booker grounded out to second, allowing Shelly to score the tying run and even the game at 1-1.
Evansville Responds
The Otters moved back in front in the fourth.
Evansville came right back in the top of the fourth, first taking the lead after LG Castillo led off the inning with a single and moved to second on a wild pitch from Williams before Sam Linscott doubled to put runners in scoring position.
The next batter, Mark Black, grounded out to score Castillo and put the Otters back in front, 2-1.
Ponder followed with an RBI single to score Linscott and extend Evansville’s advantage to 3-1.
Mississippi Keeps Answering
Payne II scored in the fourth before Skinner and Fritz made it a one-run game in the fifth.
The Mud Monsters answered with their second consecutive scoring inning in the bottom of the fourth when Payne II lined a leadoff double into left field before moving to third on a groundout.
With one out, Payne II scored on a wild pitch from Simpson to trim the deficit to 3-2.
Evansville once again responded after Mississippi scored, plating a two-out run in the top of the fifth. With one away, Marcos Gonzalez drew a walk and stole second to move into scoring position.
Castillo followed with an RBI single to give Evansville a 4-2 lead.
The Mud Monsters made it three consecutive scoring innings when Skinner crushed a leadoff triple before scoring on a one-out sacrifice fly by Fritz to make it a 4-3 game.
Langrell Strands Two
The bullpen held the deficit at one in the seventh.
Connor Langrell entered from the bullpen to begin the seventh, ending the day for Williams.
The right-hander out of Bryan, Texas, tossed 6.0 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out four.
Langrell retired the first two batters he faced and, despite allowing back-to-back singles, struck out Castillo looking to strand both runners and send the game to the seventh-inning stretch.
All Tied Again
Diaz drew a bases-loaded walk in the seventh.
Southpaw David Eckaus entered for Evansville, and Reed began the bottom of the seventh by reaching on a hit-by-pitch.
Skinner followed with a single before Eckaus recorded the first out of the inning, prompting Otters manager Andy McCauley to turn to Anthony Tomczak in relief.
Facing Fritz, Tomczak’s 2-1 offering was swung on, but catcher’s interference was called on Evansville catcher Drey Dirksen to load the bases for Victor Diaz.
Diaz then drew a bases-loaded walk, allowing Reed to score the tying run and make it a 4-4 ballgame.
Diaz Cuts One Down
Mississippi got a big defensive play behind the plate in the eighth.
Chris Barraza entered from the bullpen in the top of the eighth to replace Langrell.
After recording the first out on a flyout, Linscott singled and attempted to steal second, but a laser throw from Diaz behind the plate caught him stealing for the second out.
Barraza then struck out Black to end the inning and send the game to the bottom of the eighth.
Evansville Takes It Late
The Otters scored the final run in the ninth.
The Mud Monsters threatened with two outs after Reed reached on an error by shortstop Amani Jones before Skinner collected his fourth hit of the day to put runners on the corners.
Booker followed by grounding a ball to second that Gonzalez made a sliding grab on before completing the play to end the inning.
Barraza continued into the ninth and issued a leadoff walk to Ponder, who advanced all the way to third on a sacrifice bunt by Jones.
The bunt rolled down the third-base line, forcing Reed to charge the ball and make the play while leaving third base uncovered.
Pierce followed with a line-drive RBI double to straightaway center field, scoring Ponder with the go-ahead run to make it 5-4 Evansville.
Evansville closer Nate Wohlgemuth entered for the second straight game and retired the Mud Monsters in order to earn the save and hand Mississippi its first series loss at Trustmark Park this season.
Full Box Score
Evansville 5, Mississippi 4 - July 26, 2026 at Trustmark Park
Line Score
Evansville Batting
Mississippi Batting
Evansville Pitching
Mississippi Pitching
Box Score Notes
Evansville extra-base hits: Linscott doubled in the fourth. Pierce doubled in the ninth.
Mississippi extra-base hits: Payne II doubled in the fourth. Skinner tripled in the fifth.
RBIs: Evansville - Ponder, Pierce, Castillo, Black. Mississippi - Booker, Fritz, Diaz.
Hit by pitch: Reed was hit by Eckaus.
Defense: Evansville turned one double play and committed one error. Mississippi committed two errors.
Base running: Ponder stole two bases and Gonzalez stole one for Evansville. Linscott was caught stealing. Payne II and Reed were caught stealing for Mississippi.
Pitching: Simpson 89 pitches, 53 strikes. Eckaus 15 pitches, 10 strikes. Tomczak 26 pitches, 15 strikes. Morissey 11 pitches, 8 strikes. Kriebel 5 pitches, 4 strikes. Wohlgemuth 7 pitches, 5 strikes. Williams 105 pitches, 70 strikes. Langrell 24 pitches, 15 strikes. Barraza 35 pitches, 18 strikes.
Game information: Trustmark Park. Sunday, July 26, 2026. First pitch: 6:03 p.m. Final out: 9:19 p.m. Time of game: 3:16. Attendance: 1,922. Weather: 97 degrees. Wind: 6 mph W.
Up Next
Following an off day Monday, the Mud Monsters continue their two-week homestand with a six-game series against the Schaumburg Boomers.
Tuesday’s opener features another Taco Tuesday promotion with $2 pulled pork or chicken soft tacos topped with cheese, lettuce and queso. It is also Bingo Madness Night, giving fans the opportunity to play along throughout the game for prizes.
Gates open at 5:30 p.m. CT with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT. At the time of writing, probable starting pitchers had not been announced.
Schaumburg Comes to Town
The homestand keeps rolling with tacos, bingo, day baseball, emo chaos, fireworks, golden tickets and teal jerseys.
The Mud Monsters continue their two-week homestand with the Schaumburg Boomers beginning Tuesday night at Trustmark Park.
Taco Tuesday + Bingo Madness
$2 pulled pork or chicken soft tacos topped with cheese, lettuce and queso.
Fans can also play Bingo Madness throughout the game for prizes.
Gates: 5:30 PM
First Pitch: 6:30 PM
Youth & Senior Day
Day baseball at Trustmark Park with an 11 AM first pitch.
Youth & Senior Day tickets are available for groups looking for an easy daytime ballpark outing.
Emo Night
Sad songs. Swamp things. Thirsty Thursday. Adults Run the Bases after the game.
It is also the Sad Songs & Swamp Things Monster Drop.
Golden Ticket Night
Fireworks Friday gets a little sweeter with Golden Ticket Night - 55 Years of Willy Wonka.
Stick around after the game for fireworks at Trustmark Park.
Teal Jersey Giveaway
The first 1,000 fans through the gates receive a teal Mud Monsters jersey presented by Atmos Energy.
It is also the Teal Takeover Monster Drop.
Pick Your Night
There are a lot of different ways to do the swamp this week. Tacos, fireworks, jerseys, weird promos and baseball.
View This Week’s GamesAbout 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.