Williams Ties Franchise Strikeout Mark, Offense Stifled by Kirby
WASHINGTON, Pa. (June 16, 2026) - The Mississippi Mud Monsters (14-20) received a record-tying performance from Brian Williams but were outdueled by Zach Kirby in a 2-0 loss to the Washington Wild Things (23-9).
Monster Notes
Williams matched the franchise strikeout record, but Mississippi was held scoreless in the road trip opener.
- Brian Williams struck out 10 across six innings, tying the Mud Monsters individual franchise strikeout record.
- The 10-strikeout mark matches Preston Johnson from May 13, 2026 and Luis Devers from July 25, 2025.
- Kasten Furr collected two of Mississippi’s four hits.
- Tristan House tossed a perfect seventh inning with one strikeout.
Williams Sets the Tone
The right-hander turned in his best outing of the season.
Carrying their first three-game winning streak of the season into the opener at EQT Park, the Mud Monsters hoped to keep their momentum rolling.
It did on the mound.
Williams, making his eighth start for the Mud Monsters, turned in the best outing of his season.
The right-hander out of Texas matched the individual franchise strikeout record with 10 punchouts across 6.0 innings of work. The mark ties Preston Johnson, who reached 10 strikeouts on May 13 of this season, and Luis Devers, who accomplished the feat on July 25, 2025.
His final line featured one run allowed on five hits while walking three and striking out 10.
One Mistake
Caleb Ketchup supplied the first run of the night.
The one mistake the right-hander made came to Caleb Ketchup with one out in the bottom of the fourth inning.
With six strikeouts already to that point, Williams picked up a groundout for the first out of the frame before leaving a 3-1 pitch over the plate that Ketchup sent over the wall in left field.
Kyle Booker made a leaping attempt at the wall but was unable to keep it in the ballpark.
Williams quickly regrouped, picking up the final two outs of the frame on back-to-back strikeouts before adding his final two punchouts in the bottom of the fifth.
Kirby Controls the Night
Mississippi was held to four hits in the opener.
For Mississippi’s offense, they ran into a pitcher just as dominant on the opposite side.
The Mud Monsters were retired in order on five separate occasions with their four hits credited to one each from AJ Fritz and Travis Holt and two from Kasten Furr.
Mississippi hit into first-pitch outs four times during the game, helping Kirby work as efficiently as possible.
Kept Within Reach
House and Sanders followed Williams out of the bullpen.
Tristan House took over for Williams in the seventh and tossed a perfect inning while recording a strikeout.
Brayden Sanders took the ball in the eighth and, after retiring the first two men on a groundout and strikeout, the rookie right-hander walked the next two batters to bring Ketchup back to the plate.
Washington Adds Insurance
Kirby finished the shutout in the ninth.
Ketchup struck again, delivering an RBI single to make it 2-0 and provide insurance as the game moved to the ninth.
Down to their final three outs, Kirby remained on the mound and finished off the complete-game shutout on pitch number 117 to secure a 2-0 Washington victory.
Full Box Score
Washington 2, Mississippi 0 - June 16, 2026 at EQT Park
Line Score
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | LOB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| Washington | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | X | 2 | 6 | 1 | 8 |
Mississippi Batting
| Player | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schield, SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Furr, 2B | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Skinner, CF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Booker, LF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Holt, 3B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Semo, C | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Fritz, 1B | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Payne II, DH | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Mitzel, RF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Totals | 32 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Washington Batting
| Player | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monroy, 2B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Ford, RF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Brocato, LF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Czech, 1B | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Fowler, 3B | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Ketchup, CF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Edwards, SS | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Stokely, DH | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Quiroz, C | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Totals | 29 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 13 |
Mississippi Pitching
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Williams L | 6.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 1 |
| House | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Sanders | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Totals | 8.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 13 | 1 |
Washington Pitching
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kirby W | 9.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Totals | 9.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
Game Notes
HR: Washington - Caleb Ketchup.
RBI: Washington - Caleb Ketchup 2.
Fielding: Washington error - Edwards.
Pitching: Williams 110 pitches, 71 strikes. House 14 pitches, 10 strikes. Sanders 25 pitches, 12 strikes. Kirby 118 pitches, 80 strikes.
Batters Faced: Williams 25. House 3. Sanders 6. Kirby 32.
Game Information: EQT Park. First pitch: 7:29 p.m. Final out: 9:56 p.m. Time of game: 2:27. Weather: 71 degrees, wind 8 mph. Official scorer: Mitch Montani.
Up Next
The Mud Monsters continue their three-game set against the Wild Things on Wednesday evening. Southpaw Art Joven (3-2, 4.86) starts for Mississippi while Washington counters with right-hander Hector Garcia (3-1, 1.33).
First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. ET, 5:05 p.m. CT.
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.