Spartans Sweep the Day With 9-7 Win Over Pitt

Saturday, February 7

Clearwater, Fla.

3 PM

Michigan State University

3-1

Pitt

2-1

Michigan St.

Pitt

2/7/2026 5:32:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

East Lansing, Mich. -- Michigan State improved to 3-1 on the year with a 9-7 victory over Pitt at day two of the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Florida.

The Spartans, who defeated Longwood 4-1 in the first game of the day, have one game remaining in Florida on Sunday, a 10 am game against No. 13 Clemson.

Offensively, MSU scored its nine runs on just six hits, as Pitt committed four errors. MSU had four doubles on the day, and each of the first four batters scored twice. Both Hannah Hawley and Sophia Grillo had a pair of RBI and Sydney Doloszycki was the only Spartan with multiple base hits, going 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored.

MSU had scored in the first, added five in the third, and tacked on three in the fifth inning. Junior transfer Autumn Behlke nearly went the distance, entering the bottom of the seventh with a 9-2 lead. The Panthers were able to generate a five-spot in the bottom of the seventh, including a one-out, three-run homer. Alex Starr went the final two-thirds of an inning. Behlke was credited with the victory, going 6.1 and surrendering eight hits (2 walks, 2 K's).

STANDOUT PERFORMANCES

Autumn Behlke went 6.1 innings, scattering eight hits. She struck out two and walked two.
Sydney Doloszycki went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and a double.
Sophia Grillo posted a pair of RBI with her double and a 1-for 4 effort at the plate.
Britain Beshears was 1-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and two runs scored.
Hannah Hawley had a pair of RBI on the day.
Zoie Bernard went 1-for-3 with a double, and also had a stolen base.

NOTABLES

Behlke picked up her second win of the weekend. She earned a win in the Friday opener vs. BYU in a five-inning relief stint.
Zoie Bernard has scored in each of her four collegiate games, with extra-base hits in three of them (2 triples, two doubles)
MSU had four doubles on the day, with three coming in the three-run fifth.
Evun Seeforth saw her first collegiate at-bat in the top of the seventh as a pinch hitter.
Alex Starr came on in relief and got the final two outs of the game.

SCORING RECAPS

Zoie Bernard led off the game with a double to left center and moved to third on a groundout to second. Hannah Hawley brought her home with a sac fly to center for an early 1-0 lead.
The Spartans went small ball to generate five runs in the top of the third. Smiley singled, Bernard walked, and Doloszycki singled up the middle to load the bases. The Panthers walked Hawley to drive in a run, and misplayed ball on a Britain Beshears fly ball to center brought home both Bernard and Doloszycki for a 4-1 lead. Pitt made a pitching change to bring on Mia Kliethermes, and a wild pitch advanced both runners into scoring position. Grillo brought home Hawley on a ground ball, and Caravaca reached via error to bring home Beshears and extend the lead to 6-0.
The home team put two scores on the board in the bottom of the fourth. An infield single by Alena Ball was followed by a stolen base and a throwing error that allowed her to go to third, and she came home on a sac fly to center. Pinch runner Payton Harris scored on another sac fly to bring the Panthers within four at 6-2.
MSU got the runs back in the top of the fifth on a pair of doubles sandwiched around an outfield error. Doloszycki led off the inning with the two-bagger into right center, and the right fielder mishandled a knock into right by Hawley to bring Doloszycki around. Beshears followed with a double of her own to bring home Hawley, and Grillo delivered a third two-base hit in the inning to bring home Beshears to make it 9-2. Pitt threatened with a pair of baserunners in the bottom of the inning, but Behlke shut them down to keep the Panthers from cutting into the lead.
Pitt threatened with two runners in scoring position and one out in the bottom of the seventh. Shelby Frazier had an infield single, advanced to second and took third on a wild pitch, followed by Camryn Murphy drawing a walk and stealing second. Ahmari Braden laced a single through the left side to score Frazier, and Alana Ball followed with a similarly-placed base hit into left. Alex Starr entered the game for Behlke with two on and one out, and gave up a homer to Gracie Helton to allow the Panthers to pull within 9-7. Starr got a strikeout and a popup to end the game.