Record Day at the Plate, on the Mound Fuels 8-3 Win over Florence
FL Mississippi Mud Monsters

Record Day at the Plate, on the Mound Fuels 8-3 Win over Florence

Published on May 14, 2026 under Frontier League (FL)
Mississippi Mud Monsters News Release


Mississippi Mud Monsters exchange congratulations
Mississippi Mud Monsters exchange congratulations
(Mississippi Mud Monsters)

FLORENCE, Ky. - With Mud Monsters pitching striking out 18 Florence batters for a new single-game club record while Travis Holt launched the first Mud Monsters home run of 2026, the 50th in club history, the Mississippi Mud Monsters (3-2) defeated the Florence Y'alls (1-4) by a score of 8-3.

The Mud Monsters went to battle behind the arm of Crystal Springs, Mississippi native Preston Johnson. In his second start for the teal and black, the 26-year-old right-hander tossed three scoreless frames while striking out five of the first nine Florence batters he faced. He would finish with 10 strikeouts on the day, tying Luis Devers (July 25, 2025 at Lake Erie) for the most strikeouts by a Mud Monsters starter in club history.

Johnson worked with the lead early after the Mud Monsters offense got the scoring started in the top of the third inning.

AJ Fritz was hit by a pitch by Y'alls starter Bradley Wilson and quickly came around to score after moving around the bases before eventually crossing the plate on a wild pitch two batters later to make it 1-0 Mississippi.

The Mud Monsters refused to take their foot off the gas pedal in the following inning as Travis Holt led off the fourth with a solo home run to dead center field. The solo shot by the Mud Monsters home run king marked the first homer of 2026 and the 50th in club history.

Jack Holman followed with a single and later moved to second on Wilson's second wild pitch before Kasten Furr plated him with an RBI single to extend the lead to 3-0.

Johnson's only mistake came in the fourth inning. After recording back-to-back strikeouts for Nos. 6 and 7 on the day, a 1-1 offering caught too much of the plate and Zade Richardson sent it out of the yard to put Florence on the board.

Johnson finished the day with 10 strikeouts while allowing just one run on two hits and no walks across five innings pitched. Manager Jay Pecci then turned the game over to the bullpen, bringing in Jackson Smith for the sixth inning.

Despite allowing a leadoff single, Smith responded by striking out the next three Florence batters to send the game into the seventh inning.

With Johnson out of the game and the score sitting at 3-1, Mississippi picked up a crucial insurance run in the seventh. Fritz grounded a single through the left side to lead things off and later moved to second on a fielder's choice by Andrew Semo.

After stealing third base, Fritz scored on an RBI by Slater Schield to extend the lead to 4-1.

That insurance run ended up proving huge for the Mud Monsters. Smith retired the first Florence batter of the inning, but a single by Zach Beadle put a man on for Garrett Brussard, who launched a two-run homer to cut the Mississippi lead to 4-3.

Smith finished his outing allowing two runs across two innings while also recording four strikeouts, bringing the Mud Monsters' team total to 14 on the night.

Looking to create more separation, Mississippi went back to work against Florence reliever Ahmad Harajili in the eighth inning. A double by Holt led off the frame before Kasten Furr was hit by a pitch.

With runners on the corners, Florence manager Toby Hall turned to Blake Donnan out of the bullpen in hopes of protecting the one-run deficit.

Donnan struggled immediately. After a wild pitch moved Holt and Furr into scoring position, another wild pitch followed one batter later, allowing Holt to score and extend the Mud Monsters lead to 5-3.

Connor Langrell entered for the bottom of the eighth and struck out two of the three batters he faced, bringing the Mud Monsters strikeout total to 16.

Mississippi continued its offensive attack into the ninth inning. With Donnan returning to the mound, Semo was immediately hit by a pitch and, with one away, Skinner drew a walk to put two runners aboard.

Entering his final plate appearance with his 13-game multi-season hitting streak on the line, Kyle Booker drilled a ball into left-center field that rolled to the fence for a two-run double to make it 7-3.

After Holt reached, Mississippi attempted a double steal, resulting in Booker being caught at third base. The next two batters reached to load the bases before a bases-loaded walk to Jack Nicklaus brought home the Mud Monsters' eighth and final run of the night.

Chris Barraza took the mound to close things out and, after allowing a leadoff single, retired the next three batters in order, two of them via strikeout, to secure the 8-3 victory for Mississippi. Barraza's two strikeouts in the ninth brought the team total to 18, setting a new single-game franchise record.

The Mud Monsters will look to secure the three-game road-series victory against Florence tomorrow evening. Right-hander Brian Williams (0-0, 1.80) will start for Mississippi while Florence turns to left-hander Evan Webster (0-1, 6.75). First pitch is scheduled for 6:54 p.m. ET.

Check out the Mississippi Mud Monsters Statistics

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Mississippi Mud Monsters exchange congratulations
Mississippi Mud Monsters exchange congratulations
   



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