Murray State Spoils Late Spartan Rally With Walkoff Homer

Friday, February 27

Lexington, Ky

12:30 PM

Michigan State University

8-7

Murray State

7-8

Michigan St.

Murray State

Murray State Spoils Late Spartan Rally With Walkoff Homer

2/27/2026 3:37:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

East Lansing, Mich. – Murray State's Adison Hicks hit a walkoff homer in the bottom of the seventh inning to spoil Michigan State's late rally and post a 6-5 win over the Spartans in the opening game of the John Cropp Invitational at Kentucky on Friday.

Murray State starter Brie Haislip held the Spartans without a base hit through five innings, but MSU's bats came alive – rattling off seven hits and five runs in the tops of the sixth and seventh innings to tie the game at 5-5 before the Racers dealt the final blow with Hicks, the first batter in the inning for Murray State. MSU falls to 8-7 with the loss, while Murray State improves to 7-8.

Kendall Smiley led MSU with a triple and a pair of RBI. Freshman Lyndsey Hooker entered the game as a pinch hitter in the sixth and hit a seventh-inning solo homer, the first of her career. Hannah Hawley and Payton Conroy each had RBI doubles in the contest as well. Alex Starr made her second consecutive start in the circle for MSU, going 4.1 innings and allowing just two hits (both doubles) while striking out two and walking two. Autumn Behlke faced four batters in the bottom of the fifth before Carsyn Cassady came on to get the third out of the inning. Cassady threw a 1-2-3 sixth, and then was the hard-luck loser in giving up the homer to Hicks in the seventh.

MSU finishes the day with a game against Kentucky later on Friday.

TOP PERFORMANCES

Kendall Smiley had an RBI triple in the sixth and reached on a fielder's choice to score the tying run in the seventh.
Lyndsey Hooker had her first collegiate homer in the seventh inning.
Alex Starr gave the Spartans 4.1 innings in the circle, surrendering three runs on a pair of base hits.
Payton Conroy and Hannah Hawley each had an RBI double in the sixth inning.

NOTABLES

Kendall Smiley's triple was her second of the season, trailing Zoie Bernard for the team lead (3).
Alex Starr has started consecutive games for the Spartans
Natalia Kenyatta had her third hit in four games.
Ava Coffinger delivered a pinch hit single in her first at-bat of the season in the sixth inning.

SCORING NUGGETS

MSU went down in order in the top of the first, and Murray State was able to get on the board after a pair of walks and a Spartan error.
The Racers added a second run in the bottom of the fourth. A hit batter followed by a Kenley Minor double put a pair of runners in scoring position, and a sac fly to right by Ava Ozment plated the second run.
Murray State had three base hits in the home half of the fifth and generated three more runs to blow the game open. A double and a pair of singles – along with a wild pitch – helped the Racers add to their lead.
MSU led off the sixth inning with back -to-back hits by Ava Coffinger (single) and a double by Payton Conroy, which plated Coffinger for MSU's first run of the game. Zoie Bernard moved Conroy to third with a ground ball, and Kendall Smiley followed with a triple to bring Conroy home. The Racers made a pitching change, and Hannah Hawley stepped in and doubled to left to score Smiley to make it a 5-3 ballgame.
In the top of the seventh, MSU rallied for two more runs to tie the game. Freshman Lindsay Hooker homered – the first of her college career – to make it 5-4. Natalia Kenyatta singled and moved to second on a wild pitch. Payton Conroy was hit by a pitch, and Bernard followed with an infield single to load the bases. Smiley reached on a fielders choice to bring home Kenyatta to tie the game, but MSU stranded two runners. The first batter in the home half of the seventh, Adison Hicks, took her first pitch over the wall in left to allow Murray to walk off with the victory.