Late Spartan Rally Falls Short vs Auburn

Friday, February 6

Clearwater, Fla.

8 PM

Michigan State University

1-1

Auburn

2-1

Auburn

Michigan State

Photo by: Danny Sikkenga

2/6/2026 11:07:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

East Lansing, Mich. -- Michigan State fought to chip away at an early Auburn lead on Friday night, but fell to the Tigers 9-6 in the nightcap of opening day at the NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic in Clearwater.

The Spartans, now 1-1, surrendered a five-run second inning after taking a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. From there, MSU kept challenging the Tigers, who were receiving votes in the preseason NFCA national poll. Auburn led 5-2 through four innings and tacked on three insurance runs in the top of the fifth, but MSU came back with a pair of runs in each the fifth and sixth innings. A final insurance tally for Auburn in the top of the seventh sealed a 9-6 final.

MSU stranded 10 runners in the game, scoring six runs on eight hits and benefitting from four Auburn errors. The Tigers scattered 11 hits over seven innings, leaving six batters on base.

Sydney Doloszycki went 3-for-4 at the plate, recording a pair of RBI. Hannah Hawley hit her second homer of the season and had two RBI; Zoie Bernard (triple) and Hannah Greer (double) also had extra-base hits.

Carsyn Cassady took the loss in the circle (0-1), charged with five runs – none earned – in the second inning and struck out two. Freshmen pitchers Alex Starr and Alyssa Galindo each made their collegiate debuts. Starr came on in relief of Cassady in the third inning and allowed five hits and three runs (two earned). Galindo closed out the game with a three-inning effort where she allowed four hits, one run (earned), and struck out one.

MSU has another pair of games on Saturday, starting at noon against Longwood. The Spartans will also take on Pitt in a 3 pm matchup.

STANDOUT PERFORMANCES

Sydney Doloszycki went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI.
Hannah Hawley smacked her second home run of the day, a two-run shot in the bottom of the first.
Freshman Zoie Bernard recorded her first collegiate hit, a triple in the bottom of the first inning. She scored three runs.
Sophia Grillo recorded her first hit as a Spartan.
Freshman pitchers Alex Starr and Alyssa Galindo made their collegiate debuts. Junior Kayla Franklin came on as a pinch hitter, her first appearance in Green & White
Galindo threw 52 pitches, 33 for strikes, in closing out the game for MSU. She allowed just one run and scattered four hits over three innings.

STATS AND STORYLINES

Zoie Bernard led off the bottom of the first with a triple, and two batters later, Hannah Hawley smacked her second homer of the day for a 2-0 lead.
Auburn put together a five-run second, starting with a leadoff walk, a one-out error, and a two-out infield single. A bases-loaded walk plated the first run, and a grand slam by McKaela Walker added four more to make it 5-2.
Carsyn Cassady started the game, allowing two hits and striking out two while walking three in 2.1 innings.
Alex Starr came on in relief in the third inning. She walked the first batter she faced but got the next two batters to get out of the inning and stranding two batters.
A pair of doubles to lead off the fifth plated a sixth run for the Tigers. An infield single and an error plated the second run before an out was recorded, and Alyssa Galindo came on in relief of Starr. With one out, a single plated a third run for Auburn to make it 8-2. Caravaca helped the cause by throwing out Lessman attempting to steal second, and Galindo got a lineout to short to end the inning.
MSU looked to stage a rally in the bottom of the fifth. Bernard reached on an error, but the Tigers got the next two outs. Beshears reached on an error by the shortstop, and a hard-hit ball by Grillo to short loaded the bases. Doloszycki came through with a single up the middle that sent both Bernard and Beshears home to cut it to 8-4. Natalia Kenyatta got her first at-bat as a pinch hitter, but the freshman pitcher, Charlie Butler, got out of the jam with a strikeout.
MSU chipped away at the Auburn lead again in the bottom of the sixth. Butler got the first two outs of the inning, but then walked both Bernard and Caravaca on eight straight pitches. The Tigers went to the bullpen to bring in Ella Harrison to pitch to Hawley. Her offering went between the legs of the third baseman to bring home Bernard to make it 8-5. Harrison walked Beshears on a full count to once again load the bases, and Grillo reached on an error – Auburn's second of the inning and fourth of the game - to bring home Caravacca. The Tigers barely got Doloszycki at first to end the inning and leave the bases loaded.
Auburn put together back-to-back base hits to put two in scoring position in the top of the seventh, and plated a run on a sac fly to push it to a 9-6 advantage. Galindo got a strikeout to end the inning without further damage.
Looking to make a late rally, Hannah Greer led off the bottom of the seventh with a double down the left field line. Harrison recorded three consecutive strikeouts to end the game and strand Greer at third.