MESA, Ariz. – Second-seeded The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley baseball team dropped its Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Tournament opener to fourth-seeded Grand Canyon University (GCU) 5-0 on Thursday at Hohokam Stadium, the spring training home of the Oakland A’s.

UTRGV (34-20) will face third-seeded Sacramento State in an elimination game on Friday at 1 p.m. The winner will advance to a second elimination game at 5 p.m. against the loser of Thursday’s game between top-seeded New Mexico State and sixth-seeded Utah Valley.

GCU (35-22) scored the only run it needed against senior Trevelle Hill (7-5) in the second inning on a two-out single by Austin Bull.

That was it until the seventh, when GCU scored four runs on a one-out double by Pikai Winchester and two-out hits by Jonny Weaver, Preston Pavlica and Quin Cotton.

Weaver finished a game-best 3-for-5.

Hill went 6.2 innings, striking out six. Senior Harlingen South alum Zach Martinez followed with 2.1 innings of scoreless relief.

UTRGV had seven hits, including two each by juniors Tyler Torres and Conrado Diaz, and one each by senior Anthony Gomez, junior Andy Atwood and freshman Vela alum Aaron Galvan. Torres and Galvan also walked.

The first four hits came against Kade Mechals (11-1), who struck out 10 and walked four in six innings.

Cole Hoskins tossed three scoreless innings for his fifth save.