Mud Monsters Pull Away From Crushers in 10-4 Victory
AVON, Ohio (Aug. 5, 2026) - After both offenses scored three runs through the first two innings before both pitchers settled in, the Mississippi Mud Monsters (30-44) slugged their way to a 10-4 victory over the Lake Erie Crushers (30-44) Wednesday afternoon.
Monster Notes
A franchise-record hit streak, a loud sixth inning and a ninth-inning blast pushed Mississippi to a road win.
- Brayland Skinner went 4-for-6 with a double and an RBI, extending his hitting streak to a franchise-record 12 games.
- Travis Holt went 2-for-5 with his fifth home run of the season and two RBIs.
- Samil De La Rosa broke a 3-3 tie with a two-run double in the sixth inning.
- Slater Schield drove in two runs and helped turn an inning-ending double play.
- Sergio Sanchez earned the win after allowing four runs over six innings.
Skinner Sets the Tone
The center fielder opened the day with a franchise-record swing.
Mississippi opened the scoring with Brayland Skinner setting a new franchise record by extending his hitting streak to 12 straight games after the Mud Monsters center fielder led off the game with a first-pitch swinging double.
Kyle Booker dropped a successful sacrifice bunt to move Skinner to third, and Tevis Payne II followed with an RBI single into shallow left field to give Mississippi an early 1-0 lead against Lake Erie starter Edwin Sanchez.
Early Answer
Lake Erie tied it with Chase Nixon’s first professional homer.
After dropping Tuesday’s series opener in walk-off fashion, the Mud Monsters handed the ball to Sergio Sanchez for his sixth start of the season.
Making his first start against the Crushers this year, the San Cristobal, Dominican Republic native retired the first batter before Chase Nixon launched his first professional home run, a solo shot that tied the game at 1-1.
Two-Run Second
Mississippi jumped back in front right away.
The Mud Monsters kept the pressure on in the top of the second after Travis Holt singled to begin the inning and Samil De La Rosa drew a walk.
Vantrel Reed grounded into a fielder’s choice that erased Holt, and a throwing error moved both runners into scoring position.
With De La Rosa at third and Reed at second with one out, Slater Schield grounded out to second, allowing a run to score and restore Mississippi’s lead.
With two outs, Skinner attacked the first pitch he saw for his second hit of the afternoon, an RBI single that stretched the advantage to 3-1.
Crushers Pull Even
Lake Erie scored twice in the home half.
Lake Erie answered Mississippi’s two-run inning with two runs of its own in the bottom of the second.
Jacob Tobias led off with a walk before Samuel Benjamin delivered an RBI double to pull the Crushers within one.
Following a groundout that moved Benjamin to third, Derek Vegas lined an RBI single to tie the game at 3-3.
Joe Redfield followed with a single to put runners on the corners.
Redfield attempted to steal second, but Payne II threw him out. As the throw went to second, Vegas broke for home, but Schield fired a strike back to Payne II to complete an inning-ending double play.
Pitchers Settle In
Both starters found a groove after the early scoring.
Both starters settled in with scoreless third and fourth innings after each club plated three runs through the opening two frames.
Reed recorded his first hit of the day in the fourth to give Mississippi a two-out baserunner, but the Mud Monsters were held scoreless.
Sergio Sanchez followed with a 1-2-3 bottom of the fourth before working around two two-out walks in the fifth, striking out Nixon to end the inning.
Sixth-Inning Breakthrough
De La Rosa broke the tie before Schield added on.
AJ Fritz opened the sixth with a single through the left side past a diving Pavin Parks.
Amani Larry followed with a bunt that Edwin Sanchez fielded before throwing wildly to first, allowing both Fritz and Larry to move into scoring position.
One batter later, with one out, De La Rosa ripped a two-run double the opposite way to put Mississippi back in front, 5-3.
After Reed drew a walk, Lake Erie turned to its bullpen and brought in left-hander Wesley Culley.
Culley’s first pitch was lined into center by Schield, scoring De La Rosa to make it 6-3. Reed attempted to advance to third on the play but was thrown out for the second out of the inning.
Culley recorded the final out to send the game to the home half of the sixth.
Sanchez Finishes Six
The right-hander handed Mississippi a lead after six innings.
Sergio Sanchez tossed his second 1-2-3 inning of the afternoon, striking out back-to-back hitters for the first two outs.
Culley remained on the mound in the seventh and issued consecutive walks to Booker and Payne II.
Fritz followed with his second hit of the day, an RBI single that scored Booker and extended Mississippi’s lead to 7-3.
Larry grounded out to move both runners into scoring position with two outs, but the Mud Monsters were unable to add any more runs.
Lake Erie Gets One Back
The Crushers cut the lead to three in the seventh.
Sergio Sanchez entered the bottom of the seventh with 89 pitches and had not allowed a hit since the second inning.
Lake Erie ended that stretch when Benjamin singled to begin the inning, and Jarrod Watkins doubled to push Sergio Sanchez from the game.
Julian Minaya entered from the Mississippi bullpen with both inherited runners charged to Sergio Sanchez. The first batter Minaya faced, Vegas, grounded a ball to third that Holt fired home, where Payne II applied the tag to prevent a run from scoring for the first out.
Watkins advanced to third on the play with Vegas reaching first and later came home on a wild pitch by Minaya to cut the Mud Monsters’ lead to 7-4.
Minaya followed with a flyout that allowed Vegas to tag to third before striking out pinch-hitter Chayton Krauss on a full count to end the inning.
Mississippi Answers Again
Booker pushed the lead back to four in the eighth.
After Lake Erie scored, Mississippi answered in the top of the eighth.
Reed reached base for the third time after drawing his second walk of the afternoon.
Schield grounded out to move Reed to second before Skinner blooped his third hit of the game into right field.
Booker followed with an RBI single through the right side to score Reed and extend the lead back to four at 8-4.
Brayden Sanders replaced Minaya in the bottom of the eighth and allowed the first two Crushers to reach after James Jett, who entered as a defensive replacement, drew a leadoff walk and Garret Pike singled.
Sanders escaped the jam with a flyout, strikeout and flyout to hold the score at 8-4 and send the game to the ninth.
Holt Makes It Loud
The third baseman capped Mississippi’s 10-run afternoon.
Larry was hit by a pitch to begin the ninth against Lake Erie reliever Dawson Hargrove.
Holt followed with a two-run home run on a full-count offering from Hargrove to give the Mud Monsters a 10-4 lead.
With two outs, Skinner singled for his fourth hit of the afternoon, finishing 4-for-6 with an RBI.
Barraza Finishes It
The right-hander closed out the road win.
Chris Barraza entered in the ninth and walked leadoff hitter Watkins.
The right-hander struck out Vegas swinging for the first out. A wild pitch moved Watkins to second before a groundout advanced him to third, but Barraza recorded his second strikeout of the inning by catching Krauss looking to seal the 10-4 victory.
Full Box Score
Mississippi 10, Lake Erie 4 - Aug. 5, 2026 at ForeFront Field
Line Score
Mississippi Batting
Lake Erie Batting
Mississippi Pitching
Lake Erie Pitching
Box Score Notes
Mississippi extra-base hits: Skinner doubled in the first. De La Rosa doubled in the sixth. Holt homered in the ninth.
Lake Erie extra-base hits: Benjamin doubled in the second. Watkins doubled in the seventh. Nixon homered in the first.
RBIs: Mississippi - Skinner, Booker, Payne II, Fritz, Holt 2, De La Rosa 2, Schield 2. Lake Erie - Nixon, Benjamin, Vegas.
Hit by pitch: Larry was hit by Hargrove.
Defense: Mississippi turned one double play and played errorless defense. Lake Erie committed five errors.
Base running: Payne II, Larry and Holt stole bases for Mississippi. Booker and Larry recorded sacrifice hits.
Pitching: Sergio Sanchez 102 pitches, 59 strikes. Minaya 19 pitches, 11 strikes. Sanders 27 pitches, 17 strikes. Barraza 19 pitches, 12 strikes. Edwin Sanchez 97 pitches, 65 strikes. Culley 28 pitches, 12 strikes. Hargrove 38 pitches, 24 strikes.
Game information: ForeFront Field. Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. First pitch: 12:06 p.m. Final out: 3:16 p.m. Time of game: 3:10. Attendance: 1,684. Weather: 81 degrees. Wind: 2 mph SSW.
Up Next
The Mud Monsters conclude their three-game series against the Lake Erie Crushers Thursday evening.
First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. CT. Right-hander Jackson Smith (4-2, 4.76) gets the start for Mississippi while Lake Erie counters with left-hander Cobe Reeves (3-0, 4.70).
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.