Mud Monsters Plate Runs in Five Straight Frames to Top Crushers 9-3
PEARL, Miss. (June 23, 2026) - The Mississippi Mud Monsters (16-24) took down the Lake Erie Crushers (17-23) by a 9-3 final Tuesday night, riding the momentum from their road-trip-ending victory into the opener of a six-game series at Trustmark Park.
Monster Notes
Mississippi scored in five straight innings and pulled away behind a steady night from the offense and bullpen.
- Brayland Skinner went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, two runs, two stolen bases and a hit by pitch.
- Art Joven struck out six over five innings to earn the win.
- Andrew Semo finished 3-for-4 and drove in a run.
- Samil De La Rosa reached four times with two hits, two walks, a double and an RBI.
- Brayden Sanders, Dallas Woolfolk and Connor Langrell combined for four scoreless innings out of the bullpen.
Mississippi Starts Fast
The Mud Monsters jumped in front with two runs in the first.
Art Joven got the start for Mississippi. In his lone start against Lake Erie this season on May 15, the southpaw out of Bakersfield, California struck out a season high six and hoped to do more of the same Tuesday night.
The bats continued riding the momentum off a three-homer explosion against Evansville Sunday evening, punching first with two runs in the first.
Brayland Skinner led things off with a bloop single to center field and number two batter Kyle Booker followed with an opposite field RBI single to score Skinner. A bobble by Lake Erie left fielder James Jett allowed Booker to move to second.
Travis Holt singled to put Mud Monsters on first and third and with one out, Kasten Furr connected on a base hit to score Booker.
Lake Erie Ties It
The Crushers answered with two in the third.
After a scoreless second frame for both teams, Lake Erie brought in two runs of its own in the top of the third.
A one-out walk to Pavin Parks began things, and a two-out double by Jacob Tobias moved both runners into scoring position for Luis Acevedo.
Acevedo followed with a single to score both runners and knot the game at 2-2.
Skinner Breaks the Tie
Mississippi loaded the bases and cashed in during the fourth.
The Mud Monsters went back to work with their lumber when the bottom of the fourth inning rolled around.
A single sandwiched by two walks to Samil De La Rosa, Andrew Semo and Slater Schield loaded the bases for Brayland Skinner, who promptly broke the tie with a two-run single to give the Mud Monsters a 4-2 lead.
Later in the frame with two outs after a walk to Holt, Lake Erie manager Jared Lemiux opted to relieve starter Bob Helt with left-hander Brandon Scott.
Inheriting the situation from Helt, while facing AJ Fritz, the Crushers' southpaw's second offering of the frame sailed to the backstop to bring home a hustling Schield that made it a 5-2 Mud Monsters advantage before the inning was up.
Joven Finishes Five
The left-hander held the lead and reached six strikeouts.
Lake Erie answered in the top of the fifth to cut into Mississippi's lead, 5-3, after Acevedo singled to score Derek Vegas with two outs.
Joven finished his outing going five innings, allowing three runs, two earned, on five hits while walking five and striking out six.
The left-hander has now struck out 12 Crushers across two starts against Lake Erie this season.
Five Straight Frames
Mississippi kept scoring and pulled away from Lake Erie.
Following their three spot, Mississippi proceeded to score in the four consecutive innings after the fourth to pull away even further.
The Mud Monsters first answered Lake Erie's fifth-inning run with a run of their own after Booker was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to make it 6-3.
In the sixth, after a walk by newest Mud Monster Scout Knotts, De La Rosa singled and Semo plated Knotts with his third hit of the day to make it 7-3.
Mississippi added another run in the seventh after Skinner was plunked by a pitch, stole second and third on consecutive offerings and scored on a Holt groundout to increase the lead to 8-3.
Locked Down Late
The bullpen handled the final four innings without allowing a run.
In the eighth, the second single by Furr was followed by Knotts' first base hit as a Mud Monster to put Mississippi runners on the corners.
De La Rosa grounded into a double play to score Furr to bring home the ninth and final run of the game.
Following Joven on the mound, Brayden Sanders and Dallas Woolfolk combined for scoreless sixth, seventh and eighth innings to get the ball to Connor Langrell to get the final three outs.
Langrell retired the side in order on 12 pitches to lock down the 9-3 series-opening victory for Mississippi.
Full Box Score
Mississippi 9, Lake Erie 3 - June 23, 2026 at Trustmark Park
Line Score
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | LOB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Erie | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 11 |
| Mississippi | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | X | 9 | 12 | 0 | 12 |
Lake Erie Batting
| Player | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander, LF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Redfield, CF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Parks, 3B/P | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Gonzalez, C | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Vegas, C | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Tobias, 1B/3B | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Acevedo, 2B | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Benjamin, DH/RF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Jett, RF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Pike, 1B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Watkins, SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Totals | 34 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 10 |
Mississippi Batting
| Player | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skinner, CF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Booker, LF | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Holt, 3B | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Fritz, 2B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Furr, RF | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Knotts, 1B | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| De La Rosa, DH | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Semo, C | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Schield, SS | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals | 32 | 9 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 9 | 3 |
Lake Erie Pitching
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helt L | 3.2 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Scott | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Traver | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Pierson | 2.0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Parks | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 8.0 | 12 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 0 |
Mississippi Pitching
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joven W | 5.0 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 0 |
| Sanders | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Woolfolk | 1.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Langrell | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 9.0 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 0 |
Box Score Notes
Lake Erie extra-base hits: Alexander doubled in the first. Tobias doubled in the third.
Mississippi extra-base hits: De La Rosa doubled in the second.
RBIs: Lake Erie - Acevedo 3. Mississippi - Skinner 2, Booker 2, Holt, Furr, De La Rosa, Semo.
Base running: Lake Erie stolen bases - Alexander, Acevedo. Mississippi stolen bases - Skinner 2, Semo. Caught stealing - Fritz.
Fielding: Lake Erie errors - Alexander, Parks, Helt. Lake Erie double plays - Acevedo; Acevedo-Watkins-Tobias; Watkins-Acevedo-Pike. Mississippi double plays - Booker; Skinner; Semo. Mississippi grounded into double plays - Booker, De La Rosa.
Pitching: Helt 94 pitches, 49 strikes. Scott 19 pitches, 12 strikes. Traver 36 pitches, 19 strikes. Pierson 35 pitches, 18 strikes. Parks 12 pitches, 9 strikes. Joven 97 pitches, 55 strikes. Sanders 39 pitches, 21 strikes. Woolfolk 28 pitches, 21 strikes. Langrell 12 pitches, 8 strikes.
Game information: Trustmark Park - Pearl, Mississippi. Tuesday, June 23, 2026. First pitch: 6:33 p.m. Final out: 10:12 p.m. Time of game: 3:39. Attendance: 1,007. Weather: 85 degrees. Wind: NNW 8 mph. Official scorer: Bobby Gross.
Up Next
The Mud Monsters continue their six-game series against the Crushers Wednesday evening. The game is a What's on a Stick Wednesday featuring mystery Country Pleasin' sausage, mystery beer, and the weekly meat challenge.
Right-hander Jackson Smith (3-1, 5.52) gets the start for Mississippi while Lake Erie counters with southpaw Edwin Sanchez (1-1, 3.20). First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT and gates open at 5:30 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.