Campbell Ks 7 in Debut as Mud Monsters Take Down Joliet 4-2
PEARL, Miss. (June 9, 2026) - Tyler Campbell shined in his Frontier League debut as the Mississippi Mud Monsters (11-17) defeated the Joliet Slammers (10-17) by a 4-2 final score.
Monster Notes
Campbell gave Mississippi eight strong innings, and the Mud Monsters opened the homestand with a win.
- Tyler Campbell struck out seven and allowed two runs across eight innings in his Frontier League debut.
- Brayland Skinner tripled home the go-ahead run in the fifth inning.
- Andrew Semo launched his third home run of the season.
- Chris Barraza struck out two in a scoreless ninth to secure the save.
Campbell Debuts
The left-hander made a strong first impression in the Frontier League.
Campbell last pitched on June 2 for the Santa Fe Fuego of the Pecos League, tossing a complete game against the Pecos Bills while allowing one run and striking out eight across nine innings.
It was more of the same for the left-hander from Albuquerque, New Mexico, who impressed in his first Frontier League appearance by tossing eight innings while striking out seven, walking one and allowing two runs on eight hits.
Campbell picked up his first strikeout as a Mud Monster against Joliet leadoff hitter Brett Stanley.
The only early mistake came to the next batter, Patrick Ward, who launched a 1-1 pitch onto the left-field picnic area to give the Slammers a 1-0 lead.
Campbell quickly regrouped, striking out Jackson Valera before recording the final out of the inning.
Immediate Answer
Semo tied the game with one swing.
Semo goes deep
The Mud Monsters had an answer after Joliet jumped ahead early.
Andrew Semo stepped to the plate and launched a solo home run, his third of the season, to tie the game at 1-1.
The score remained even as Campbell continued to settle in. The southpaw added three more strikeouts over the next four innings and carried five punchouts into the fifth.
Skinner Breaks Through
The center fielder gave Mississippi the lead in the fifth.
In the bottom of the fifth, Mississippi broke through.
With one out, Slater Schield lined a double into left-center field and Skinner followed with a two-out RBI triple off the wall in right-center to give the Mud Monsters a 2-1 advantage.
Sixth-Inning Separation
A pair of Joliet miscues helped Mississippi add on.
Mud Monsters stretch the lead
When the sixth inning arrived, a pair of Joliet miscues helped Mississippi create some separation.
AJ Fritz and Semo opened the frame with back-to-back singles, ending the night for Slammers starter Ben Vitas and prompting Joliet to turn to Donovan Smith out of the bullpen.
Fritz advanced to third on Semo’s base hit while Semo swiped second to put both runners in scoring position.
Smith induced a groundout for the first out to keep the runners at second and third.
During Schield’s at-bat, Smith uncorked a wild pitch that brought home Fritz and increased Mississippi’s lead to 3-1.
After Schield worked a walk, an errant pickoff throw at first base got away from the Joliet defense, allowing Semo to score and make it 4-1.
Finish It Off
Campbell worked through eight before Barraza closed the door.
Campbell completed a 1-2-3 seventh inning, the third consecutive frame in which he retired the Slammers in order.
Joliet scratched across one run in the eighth after a one-out single was followed by two two-out hits, cutting the deficit to 4-2.
Campbell finished the inning and concluded his Frontier League debut with eight strong innings of work.
Chris Barraza emerged from the bullpen to finish things off in the ninth, striking out the first two batters he faced before inducing a flyout to right field to secure the 4-2 victory.
Full Box Score
Mississippi 4, Joliet 2 - June 9, 2026 at Trustmark Park
Line Score
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | LOB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joliet | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 5 |
| Mississippi | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | X | 4 | 7 | 1 | 6 |
Joliet Batting
| Player | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanley, 2B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Ward, 3B | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Valera, DH | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Berry, RF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Suto, 1B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Beaman, LF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Marine, SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rich, CF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Sullivan, C | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 33 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 9 |
Mississippi Batting
| Player | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skinner, CF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Furr, LF | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Booker, RF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Holt, 3B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Fritz, 1B | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Semo, C | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Payne II, DH | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Schield, SS | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Reed, 2B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Totals | 29 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
Joliet Pitching
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vitas L | 5.0 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| Smith | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Catrambone | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 8.0 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
Mississippi Pitching
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Campbell W | 8.0 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 1 |
| Barraza SV | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Totals | 9.0 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 1 |
Game Notes
2B: Mississippi - Slater Schield.
3B: Mississippi - Brayland Skinner.
HR: Joliet - Patrick Ward. Mississippi - Andrew Semo.
RBI: Joliet - Patrick Ward, Jackson Valera. Mississippi - Brayland Skinner, Andrew Semo.
Fielding: Joliet turned one double play. Mississippi turned one double play. Errors: Joliet - Suto, Marine. Mississippi - Travis Holt.
Base Running: Mississippi stolen bases: Kasten Furr, Andrew Semo, Slater Schield. Kasten Furr was caught stealing.
Pitching: Vitas 85 pitches, 54 strikes. Smith 12 pitches, 5 strikes. Catrambone 19 pitches, 13 strikes. Campbell 102 pitches, 69 strikes. Barraza 12 pitches, 8 strikes.
Game Information: Trustmark Park. First pitch: 6:35 p.m. Final out: 8:48 p.m. Time of game: 2:13. Attendance: 1,065. Weather: 88 degrees, wind 6 mph SSE.
Up Next
The Mud Monsters continue their six-game home series against the Slammers on Wednesday evening with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. CT.
It will be a battle of right-handed starters as Brian Williams (0-3, 7.67) takes the ball for Mississippi while Joliet counters with Eric Turner (0-2, 6.75). Wednesday’s game will feature the first What’s on the Stick Night of the season, including the debut of the Mid-Week MEAT Challenge.
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.