No. 19/17 LSU Nips Spartans on Saturday, 5-4

Saturday, February 21

Baton Rouge, La.

7:30 PM ET/6:30 PM CT

Michigan State University

7-6

LSU

11-4

Michigan St

LSU

2/22/2026 1:26:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State took No. 19/17 LSU to the limit on Saturday, but fell to the host Tigers, 5-4, in its second game of the day on Saturday. MSU drops to 7-6 on the season, while LSU improves to 11-4.

The Spartans out-hit the Tigers 7-6, while MSU's pitching staff bent but did not break, stranding nine LSU runners. MSU issued a season-high seven walks in the game and surrendered two home runs.

Michigan State came out of the gates strong, plating a run at the top of the first inning with a Hannah Hawley RBI double, but LSU went up 3-1 on home runs in the second and third innings.

The Spartans roared back with three runs in the top of the fifth. Hawley drew a bases-loaded walk, and Sydney Doloszycki delivered an RBI single that brought home two more runs to make it 4-3 in favor of the visitors. LSU scored an unearned run in the home half of the fifth on a pair of wild pitches, and took the lead for good in the bottom of the sixth on a sac fly.

Doloszycki and Hawley led the way at the dish for MSU, each going 1-for-3 with two RBI, while Zoie Bernard extended her hitting streak with a pair of singles. Autumn Behlke took the loss in the circle, (2-2), tossing three innings in relief, giving up only two hits and allowing two runs. Carsyn Cassady drew the start and went 2.0 innings, and Alex Starr came on to throw in the sixth, issuing just one walk and no hits.

MSU will conclude the Purple and Gold Classic on Sunday in a noon game vs. Howard. The Spartans blanked the Bison, 6-0, earlier in the day on Saturday.

TOP PERFORMANCES

Hannah Hawley went 1-for-2 with an RBI double in the top of the first inning and added another RBI with a bases-loaded walk in the fifth.
Sydney Doloszycki went 1-for-3 with a two RBI single in the top of the fifth inning.
Britain Beshears went 1-for-2 with a single and reached base twice, once on a hit by pitch.
Zoie Bernard went 2-for-4 with two singles.
Kendall Smiley went 1-for-3 with a run scored

NOTABLES

Bernard recorded her team-leading 16th and 17th hits of the season and has extended her current hitting streak to six games. It is one shy of Doloszycki's team-best seven-game hitting streak earlier this year.
Hawley recorded two RBI, moving her into the team lead in that category (11)
Sydney Doloszycki notched two RBI in the nightcap after posting a pair in the earlier game vs. Howard on Saturday as well. She is second on the team with 14 hits on the year.
Natalia Kenyatta went 1-for-2 with a single, a hit by pitch, and a run scored. She started both games on Saturday at third base.
Kendall Smiley reached base twice and has had a hit in three of the four games this weekend.
Britain Beshears failed to draw a walk in the game, just the second contest this season in which she did not get issued a free pass.

SCORING NUGGETS

The Spartans started early with two hits and a run in the top of the first inning. Kendall Smiley walked on a ten-pitch at bat, then Hannah Hawley doubled into left-center field to plate Smiley and give MSU a 1-0 lead.
The home team countered in the bottom of the second on a two-run homer by Destiny Harris, and tacked on a third run in the third on a solo shot by Tori Edwards to go up 3-1.
Kenyatta, Bernard, and Smiley all singled to load the bases with one out in the top of the fifth. Hawley drew a base on balls to advance the runners and plate Kenyatta to make it 3-2 LSU. Tatum Clopton came on to pitch and retired Beshears, but Doloszycki followed with an RBI single that scored Smiley and Bernard, to allow MSU to regain the lead at 4-3.
LSU tied the game in the bottom of the fifth when Alix Franklin reached on an error and advanced to second, took third on a wild pitch, and came across to make it 4-4. The home team went up 5-4 in the bottom of the sixth inning on back-to-back singles to lead off the inning. Behlke was replaced in the circle by Alex Star; she had a wild pitch that advanced both runners, and Sierra Daniel delivered a fifth run with a sac fly to right that scored Harris to make it a 5-4 game.