Grillo Homers Twice in 7-4 Spartan Win

Saturday, February 28

Lexington, Ky

10 AM

Michigan State University

9-8

Murray State

7-9

Murray State

Michigan St.

2/28/2026 4:43:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

East Lansing, Mich. – Sophia Grillo hit a pair of two-run homers to help secure MSU's 7-5 victory over Murray State at the John Cropp Invitational at Kentucky on Saturday. The Spartans improve to 9-8 with the win, while Murray State drops to 7-9.

Coming on in relief, freshman Alyssa Galindo threw 4.1 innings, allowing three base hits and striking out four to secure her second win of the season. Alex Starr threw a perfect 1-2-3 seventh for her second save of the year.

Grillo and Hannah Hawley each had a pair of hits on the day to lead the Spartans at the plate. Grillo was 2-for-2 with a walk and four RBI, while Hawley had a double in her 2-for-3 effort. Britain Beshears added an RBI double, while Zoie Bernard and Kendall Smiley each contributed base hits.

Murray State came out of the gates hot, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning. The Spartans matched the three runs in the bottom of the first and added two more in the third, kick-started by Grillo's homers.
Galindo entered in the first in relief of Carsyn Cassady, and anchored the Green & White through 4.2 innings, the longest outing of her collegiate career. Galindo slammed the door shut on multiple Murray State rallies in the third and fifth innings, surrendering only one run on three hits, and striking out a career-high four batters.

Jacey Schuler came on in the circle to start the sixth and worked her way out of a one-out, two-on jam with two fly outs to left field. Starr came out for Schuler in the seventh and mowed the Racers down in order on her way to earning her second save of the season.

MSU, which fell to Murray State on Friday in a walkoff, will look to avenge a loss to Kentucky later on Saturday.

TOP PERFORMANCES

Sophia Grillo went 2-for-2 with 4 RBI and two, two-run home runs.
Alyssa Galindo gave the Spartans 4.2 innings of relief work, allowing three hits, one run, and striking out four.
Alex Starr pitched a perfect seventh for her second save of the season.
Hannah Hawley went 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored.
Zoie Bernard went 1-for-4 with an RBI single to extend her hitting streak to 10 games – the longest streak for any Spartan this season.
Britain Beshears went 1-for-3 with a fifth-inning RBI double.

NOTABLES

Grillo's first and third inning home runs were her second and third of the season, tying her for the team lead with Hannah Hawley. She and Hawley are also tied for the team lead with 14th RBI.
Grillo joins Hawley and Beshears as the only active Spartans to hit multiple home runs in a game. Grillo adds the 35^th instance of two homers in a game to the MSU record book.
Galindo's 4.2 innings were the longest outing of her career and set a new career high in strikeouts with four.
Starr earned her second save of the season, tying for the team lead with Cassady.
Hawley's first-inning double was her fifth double of the season. She is tied for the team lead with Bernard and Payton Conroy.
Kendall Smiley went 1-for-3 and has reached base safely in six consecutive games with her first-inning walk, as well as growing her current hitting streak to six games with her single in the fourth.

SCORING NUGGETS

Murray State had a pair of base hits and stolen bases in the top of the first, and got some help from an error and a wild pitch to get on the scoreboard. Trailing 3-0, the Spartan offense responded immediately. The action started with a Smiley walk, followed by a Hawley double to left to bring Smiley around to score. Grillo homered to left field, tying the game at three.

Hawley and Grillo made their presence felt again in the bottom of the third, taking the first lead of the game for the Green and White. Hawley reached on an infield single with one out, and Grillo's big swing went over the wall for a 5-3 lead.

Natalie Kenyatta walked to kick-start the action at the bottom of the fourth and then stole second base to advance into scoring position. Bernard singled through the left side of the infield and advanced to second on a throw to the plate, allowing Kenyatta to score and give MSU a 6-3 lead

In the fifth, Hannah Greer reached on a fielding error , and Beshears followed with a double to left field to bring Greer around to score and finalize the scoring on the day and make it a 7-4 MSU advantage.