MESA, Ariz. – Second-seeded The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley baseball team fell 6-2 to third-seeded Sacramento State University to get eliminated from the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Tournament on Friday at Hohokam Stadium, the spring training home of the Oakland A’s.

UTRGV (34-21) wraps up the season with 34 wins, the winningest season since 1991 (37) and its first WAC Tournament appearance since 2014. UTRGV also won its first-ever conference championship at the Division I level and firs since 1955, when the program was co-Big State Conference Champions.

UTRGV jumped out to the early lead against Sacramento State (35-23) starter Tanner Dalton in the top of the second. Sophomore and Mercedes alum Oliver Closner IV reached after getting hit by a pitch before moving to second on a wild pitch. After a fielding error put runners on the corners, junior Elijah Alexander delivered an RBI double down the left field line scoring Closner. Junior Coleman Grubbs followed with an RBI groundout to make it 2-0.

UTRGV starter senior and Nikki Rowe alum Ryan Jackson (5-4) didn’t allow anything across through the first three innings but Sacramento State got on the board in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI single by Trevor Doyle.

Sacramento State added two more in the bottom of the fifth on an two-run double by Ryan Walstad to take the 3-2.

Jackson pitched five innings and allowed three runs on six hits with three strikeouts.

The scoring continued for Sacramento State as they scored one in the bottom of the sixth on a throwing error, and two in the bottom fo the seventh on an RBI single by Martin Vincelli-Simard and an RBI triple by Doyle to push their lead to 6-2.

Brady Rodriguez (7-5) pitched three scoreless innings to earn the win while the Sacramento State bullpen combined to keep UTRGV off the scoreboard allowing just three hits.