EDINBURG, Texas – Utah Valley University dropped the opening game of the final WAC series of the year, 5-4, at Texas-Pan American on Thursday night.

The loss drops the Wolverines (17-32) to 13-12 in conference play and now means they can finish no higher than the No. 4 seed in next week's WAC Tournament. The Broncs improved to 20-29-1 overall and 5-19-1 in conference play.

Senior Alex Henson (3-1) picked up the win for UTPA in his final start, lasting 6.1 innings and allowing three runs on five hits while striking out nine and walking five.

Utah Valley led 2-0 early but the Broncs scored five unanswered runs in the middle innings. UVU got single runs in the seventh and eighth and got a two-out base hit from Craig Brinkerhoff in the ninth, but he was stranded there to end the game. Johnny Gonzalez pitched the ninth to earn his third save for UTPA.
 
A pair of two out base hits got the Wolverines on the board in the first. Palmer Page singled home Kade Andrus and Greyson Bogden followed with a base hit that scored Mark Krueger.
 
The Broncs tied it with two on the second, on an RBI ground ball and a bases-loaded walk with two outs in the inning. UTPA took the lead in the fourth on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Cole Loncar. Texas-Pan American increased it to a 5-2 lead with two more in the fifth, the second coming on a Logan Landon RBI single.

In the seventh, Andrus walked, took second on a wild pitch and then scored on a base hit to right by Krueger to make it a 5-3 game. In the eighth, Jake Marvos doubled home Page with one out for the fourth and final run for Utah Valley.

Page and Brinkerhoff had two hits each to lead the Wolverines, who finished with eight hits on the night. Texas-Pan American got a 3-for-3 night from Jesus Garcia and a pair of hits from Landon. Loncar and Scott Mercer had two RBIs each for UTPA.

The series continues on Friday at 6 p.m. CT/5 p.m. MT.