#6 Grand Valley State defeated #19 Wayne State, 8-2, in the opening game of a four-game series at Harwell Field in Detroit, Mich. The Lakers and Warriors will play two games on Friday and one Saturday. GVSU improves to 25-4 overall and 5-0 in GLIAC action, while Wayne State falls to 21-6 and 5-4. 

The Lakers scored all the runs they needed in the first inning with two outs and no one on base. Senior 1B Jovan Gill and junior 3B Caleb Estrada singled, followed by a walk to senior CF Jake Skaggs to load the bases. Junior RF Ryan Stimac walked to plate Gill and sophomore RF Caden Thelen came through with two-run single to center that scored Estrada and Skaggs and give GVSU a 3-0 lead. 

GVSU added five runs in the second inning that knocked out Wayne State starter Will Lowery after he retired just three batters. Senior 2B Ayden VanEnkevort and senior SS Evan Morrison singled, followed by an RBI single by freshman DH Kaden Howard. Gill plated Morrison and Estrada single to center to score Howard. Skaggs walked to load the bases and Stimac walked with the bases loaded to plate Gill. Thelen hit a sacrifice fly to right to score Estrada for all the runs the Lakers would need. 

Senior pitcher Collin Bradley improved to 6-0 on the year, yielding two runs on four hits with three strikeouts. Bradley's scoreless streak reached a school-record 28.1 consecutive innings, while his consecutive innings streak without yielding an earned run reached 36.2 innings before the Warriors scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth. Senior pitcher Keagan Bobbitt pitched the final two innings, giving up just three hits. 

GVSU pounded out 14 hits, all singles, walked four times and was hit by a pitch. Stimac was 2-for-3, reached base four times and drove in a pair of runs, while Thelen was 1-for-4 with three RBI. Morrison was 2-for-5 with a run scored, Howard was 2-for-5 with and RBI and run scored, Gill was 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored, while Estrada was 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored.