Spartans Fall in Series Finale at UCLA

Sunday, March 15

Los Angeles, CA

3 PM

Michigan State University

UCLA

3/15/2026 6:33:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

East Lansing, Mich. – No. 7 UCLA earned a series sweep of Michigan State on Sunday with a six-inning 10-2 victory at home in Easton Stadium.

With the game tied at 1-1, UCLA blew the game open with a four-run third inning, coming on a combination of home runs (two) and small ball. The Bruins had nine hits on the day to MSU's six, and the Spartans stranded five runners to UCLA's 10. UCLA's potent offense – which entered the weekend with the second-most home runs in the country (69) - added three on Sunday, all solo shots. UCLA improves to 25-3 and is a perfect 6-0 in Big Ten play.

The Spartans got a pair of base hits from junior Kendall Smiley, who went 2-for-3 with a double. Zoie Bernard and Kirsten Caravaca also delivered doubles in the game, while Hannah Hawley went 1-for-2 with a walk. Jacey Schuler took the loss, falling to 4-4 on the year.

Michigan State, now 13-13 overall, has a four-game week ahead, opening up Secchia Stadium for the first time in 2026. The Spartans will host Detroit-Mercy on Wednesday (5 pm) before welcoming No. 10/5 Nebraska to town for a three-game series that begins Friday at 5 pm.

TOP PERFORMANCES

Zoie Bernard led off the game with a double and went 1-for-3.
Kendall Smiley delivered a pair of base hits on the day, including her third double of the season.
Kirsten Caravaca's double in the third was her second extra-base hit of the season.
Sophia Grillo had a sac fly in the first, her 15^th RBI of the year.

NOTABLES

Smiley, who had her 13-game hitting streak snapped on Friday, had a pair of base hits to reach base in her 15^th consecutive game. It was her third multiple-hit game of the season.
Hawley finished the weekend 3-for-9 with a homer, the 27^th of her career.
Bernard delivered extra-base hits as the first batter in each of the last two games of the series. She has 32 base hits this season, and 16 have gone for extra bases (nine doubles, five triples, and two homers).
Caravaca had three base hits in six at-bats this weekend, with a double and two RBI.

HOW THINGS HAPPENED

For the second consecutive game, Bernard led off the game with an extra-base hit, doubling to left center. She was moved to third on a single by Smiley and then scored on the sac fly by Grillo. In the home half of the inning, the Bruins evened the score at 1-1 with a leadoff homer to center by Rylee Slimp.
In the third, the Bruins went yard in their first two at-bats, then manufactured two more runs with two outs, thanks to a hit batter, an error, a walk, and a single to center.
Each team scored a run in the fourth. MSU's came after a leadoff single by Sydney Doloszycki, and Hannah Greer reached on a fielder's choice. Caravaca laced a double to left center to bring Greer all the way around to make it 5-2. In the home half, the Bruins got the run back with a sac fly by Bri Alejandre.
The Bruins led off the fifth inning with back-to-back singles, and a walk loaded the bases. Jordan Woolery put a sac fly into center to plate a run and make it 7-2, and Alejandre drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 8-2.
UCLA finished off the game in the home half of the sixth. The Bruins put a pair on after an Alexis Ramirez double and a walk with just one out. Slimp singled to bring home Ramirez, and Megan Grant sent a sac fly into center to score the 10^th run and end the game.