DETROIT -- Playing its 27th game of the 2026 season, the 22nd-ranked Wayne State University baseball team (21-6 overall, 5-4 GLIAC) finally got to host one on Thursday afternoon at a cold and cloudy Harwell Field.  However, No. 6 Grand Valley State (25-4 overall, 5-0 GLIAC) spoiled the festivities, defeating the home team by a score of 8-2.  The two teams will continue their four-game series with a doubleheader on Friday beginning at 1 p.m.

Facing off against Grand Valley State's Colliin Bradley, the owner of the best ERA in all of Division II coming in at 0.60, Wayne State was held to two runs on seven hits, four of which came against Bradley.  The senior Laker improved to a perfect 6-0, but did give up a two-run home run to freshman Brayden Crowe (Brighton, Mich. / Hartland) in the fifth inning, his third of the season. 

In his seven starts prior to Thursday, Bradley had given up multiple earned runs in just one of them, the same appearance in which he'd surrendered his one opposing home run, a two-run shot against Hillsdale on Feb. 27.

Ty Garza (Grosse Ile, Mich. [Barton College]) was the lone Warrior with multiple hits (2-for-4) while Crowe was joined in the one-hit department by Caleb Sanders (Eastpointe, Mich. / Detroit Edison Public School Academy [Dayton]), Bennett Hitzelberger (Richmond, Mich.), Drew Hill (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich. / Grosse Pointe North), and pinch-hitter Brady Blakita (Canton, Mich. / Detroit Catholic Central).  Of the 21 total hits recorded, the three that went for extra bases were doubles by the Green and Gold (Garza, Hitzelberger and Blakita).

Pitching wise for Wayne State, Will Lowery (Grosse Ile, Mich. [Kalamazoo Valley C.C.]) was unable to retire a batter in the second.  Lowery allowed eight earned runs on eight hits with four walks, one strikeout and 54 pitches.

After him, Will DeMasse (Macomb, Mich. / Dakota), Joel Mator (Trenton, Mich.), Landon Ide (Fort Myers, Fla. / Bonita Springs) and Ethan Getting (Kalamazoo, Mich. / Portage Northern [Purdue Northwest]) teamed up for eight shutout frames of relief with only six hits and no free passes.  In order, that quartet put down 11 batters, four batters, six batters, and three batters, respectively.