V-Hawks Finish Season With Win Over St. Francis

JOLIET, Ill. -- The V-Hawk baseball team traveled east to Illinois this weekend to face off in their final series of games for the 2026 season. The V-Hawks faced off against the Fighting Saints of St. Francis, dropping three games and winning one. With the loss, the V-Hawks fall to 11-34 overall and 7-25 in the CCAC to end the year. 

GAME ONE (VU 7, SFU 8)

In the first game of the series, the V-Hawks struck first with a Cody Lozano homer that ran in Ryder Mortensen. The Saints responded with three runs of their own, but the V-Hawks were able to collect a few more in the second. In the second inning, Esteban Sanchez ran one in. Derick Cossio scored on a wild pitch and Xavier Gilmore was able to run in Dane Mediger to take the 5-3 lead over the Saints. Between the fourth and fifth, the Saints added three runs to take the 6-5 lead. The V-Hawks tied it up again when Nathan Faust stole home in the seventh. In the eighth, the Saints took the edge again, and in the ninth, Nathan Faust made it home again to tie the game up. In the bottom of the ninth, St. Francis put one more up to take the last minute win despite a strong performance from the V-Hawks. 

Cody Lozano led from the plate with two hits and two RBIs through four at-bat appearances. Xavier Gilmore also added two hits in his five appearances. Other hits on the game came from Nathan Faust, Ryder Mortensen, Esteban Sanchez, and Dane Mediger. From the circle, Brandon Shepherd pitched seven innings. He allowed 13 hits and six runs. He threw 108 pitches for 62 strikes and one strikeout. Roberto Echevarria and Ryan Gordon pitched the other two innings. 

GAME TWO (VU 2, SFU 6)

In the second game of the series, the Saints went up first to score three runs in the first two innings. In the fourth inning, the V-Hawks responded with two runs. Esteban Sanchez ran in Gabe Kahl and Cody Lozano. The V-Hawks struggled to score again for the remainder of the game. The Fighting Saints scored a few more in late innings and the V-Hawks were unable to catch up, eventually falling to the Saints 6-2 through seven innings. 

From the plate, the V-Hawks were led by Gabe Kahl and Xavier Gilmore. Each had two hits on three at-bat appearances. Other hits came from Nathan Faust, Ryder Mortensen, Cody Lozano, and Armani Camus. Nick Colker pitched most of the game, allowing eight hits and six runs. He threw 99 pitches with 61 of them being strikes. He threw two strikouts. Evan Laudenberg pitched the final two outs of the game, allowing one hit. 

GAME THREE (VU 2, SFU 9)

In the third game of the series, the V-Hawks held off the Saints for the first three innings of the game. In the fourth inning, the V-Hawks struck first when Ryder Mortensen ran in Xavier Gilmore. The V-Hawks held the 1-0 lead through the fifth inning. In the sixth, the Saints scored three runs. Through the next two innings, the Saints went up 9-1 over the V-Hawks. Late in the game, the V-Hawks fought back in the ninth inning when Dane Mediger ran in Matt Monaghan. Despite their efforts, the V-Hawks fell 9-2 against the Saints. 

Xavier Gilmore led for the V-Hawks in game three. He had two hits in his four at-bat appearances. Other hits of the game came from Nathan Faust, Gabe Kahl, Ryder Mortensen, and Esteban Sanchez. Adam Olson pitched seven innings for the V-Hawks, allowing 11 hits and eight runs. He threw three strikeouts in 107 pitches thrown and 34 batters faced. Spencer Hautamaki pitched the final inning of the game, allowing two hits and one run. 

GAME FOUR (VU 2, SFU 1)

In the final game of their season, the V-Hawks came out on top. Through the first six innings of the game, neither team had been able to score. The V-Hawks were able to score first in the game. In the top of the seventh inning, Xavier Gilmore ran in Caden Besemer for the first run. Nathan Faust singled in the seventh inning as well to run in Xavier Gilmore. The Saints responded with one run in the bottom of the seventh inning. The V-Hawks held off the Saints for the rest of the inning, taking the 2-1 win to close the 2026 season. 

Nathan Faust led for the V-Hawks with two hits in four at-bat appearances. The other hits in the game came from Xavier Gilmore, Caden Besemer, Armani Camus, and Matt Monaghan. Anthony Sanchez pitched the full game for the V-Hawks, allowing just one run and five hits in his seven innings. He threw six strikeouts against 30 batters. Sanchez threw 119 pitches for a total of 66 strikes thrown.