Mud Monsters Power Past Otters in Series Opener

Three home runs and milestone outing from Theophile lift Mississippi to road win

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (June 3, 2025) — On a gorgeous, partly cloudy evening at historic Bosse Field, the Mississippi Mud Monsters opened their three-game road series in Evansville with an offensive jolt and a strong showing on the mound, riding three home runs and a milestone outing from Rodney Theophile to a 5–2 win over the Otters.

Mississippi broke through in the third inning with a four-run frame, highlighted by a two-run homer from Kyle Booker, his second of the season. Moments later, Sammy De La Rosa crushed his first homer of the year—a two-run shot to left—to stretch the lead to 4–0. Travis Holt added a solo blast in the fourth, marking his third home run in as many games, continuing a torrid stretch at the plate.

That offensive burst proved more than enough for Theophile (1-1), who delivered a performance of personal significance: seven innings, five hits, two earned runs, one walk, and six strikeouts on 100 pitches. It marked his first time finishing seven innings in a start since May 13, 2022, when he pitched for the Fredericksburg Nationals in the Single-A Carolina League. Michael Reed took over from there, retiring six of the seven batters he faced over two scoreless innings to earn his first save of the season.

Brayland Skinner fueled the offense from the top of the lineup, going 2-for-5 and stealing three bases to increase his season total to 18. Booker reached base twice and added his seventh steal, while Nick Hassan, Roberto Gonzalez, and Victor Diaz each chipped in a hit. The Mud Monsters played error-free baseball and turned a smooth 4-6-3 double play in support of their pitching staff.

Evansville’s lone highlight came in the fifth when Keenan Taylor launched a solo home run to left, spoiling the shutout. Landon Willeman (0-1), making his professional debut just weeks after wrapping his college career at NCAA Division I Bowling Green, took the loss. The right-hander allowed five earned runs and three homers over 4.1 innings in his Frontier League debut.

With the win, Mississippi improves to 9–11, while Evansville falls to 8–13.

The Mud Monsters look to take the series with a win tomorrow afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 12:00 p.m., with right-hander James Boeree set to take the hill for Mississippi.