Winona, Minn. - The Viterbo University Baseball team lost its regular season finale on Monday night as the Winona State Warriors topped the V-Hawks 5-3. The game served as the final tune-up game for Viterbo before they start Midwest Collegiate Conference tournament play.

Winona State struck early as Tony Mueller led off the bottom of the first inning with a solo home run giving the Warriors a 1-0 lead. The Warriors would go on to score twice more in the first inning courtesy of a run producing fielder's choice by Cody Strang and a RBI single by Sam Henriksen.

Warriors starting pitcher Brandon Verthein shut down the V-Hawk offense pretty well as he allowed just one earned run on four hits in five innings for Winona State.

Verthein gave up his only earned run of the game in the fourth inning as Nick Lenzendorf (Sr. - Eastman, Wis.) hit a solo home run leaving the V-Hawks down just one run with the score standing at 3-2.

However, the Warriors would respond quickly to the Lenzendorf long ball as they tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning highlighted by a RBI single to centerfield by Ronnie Olson.

A comeback attempt in the final inning would produce a run as Eli Tupuola's (Sr. - San Diego, Calif.) single drove in Andy Behnke (Jr. - Marshall, Minn.) to make the score 5-3. However, the comeback would end there as relief pitcher Jamie Soyk got Brandon Buelow (Jr. - Milwaukee, Wis.) to ground out and end the game.

Verthein would pick up the win for the Warriors as he earned his first win of the season. Picking up the save was Soyk who allowed one run on three hits in the game's final inning.

Brent Peotter (So. - Menasha, Wis.) was charged with the loss after allowing three earned runs on four hits in four innings of work.

Leading the V-Hawks at the plate was Lenzendorf and Justin Daniels (Jr. - Holmen, Wis.) who each collected two hits.

The V-Hawks will now turn their attention to this weekend as they begin the double-elimination MCC tournament with their first game coming against Grand View University in Waterloo, Iowa.