With plenty of controversial calls, the Paly baseball team fell to the Aragon Dons, 4-0, in the first round of the Central Coast Section (CCS) Division II playoffs Thursday.

The Vikings clinched the playoff berth on the last day of the regular season with their win over Mountain View last Friday, 5-1. Junior pitcher Carey Schwartz had a complete game effort scattering four hits while walking only one. Sophomore catcher Peter Abrams hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the 6th to ice it.

The Vikings clinched a playoff berth with the help of just four seniors this season. Many predicted the team to finish in last place in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League. The starting lineup featured two underclassmen: sophomore catcher Peter Abrams and freshman second baseman Steven Burke.

Despite the youth and inexperience of the team, the Vikings compiled a solid 12-16 overall and 9-9 in league record, good for second place in SCVAL behind only Los Gatos, which is ranked number three in the CCS.

The Vikings’ schedule was one of the toughest in the entire CCS. In the first part of the season, the Vikings faced powerhouses such as St. Francis, Serra, and Bellarmine.

With all the regular season ups and downs and exceeded expectations behind them, the Vikings found themselves in the first round of the CCS playoffs hosting the Aragon Dons as their first test of how much they have come together and improved as a team.

The game was full of controversial calls. While Aragon senior outfielder Ryan Hamilton was batting, Abrams tried to throw out a potential base stealer going to third but was apparently blocked by Hamilton and did not attempt the throw. The umpire did not call interference, and this led to an RBI grounder by Hamilton.

Another incident came in the bottom of the fifth when Dexter, in his first game back from being injured, came on the pinch-hit with one on and one out. On a two-strike pitch, he allegedly had called time, but the umpire did not acknowledge it as senior pitcher Steve Kalush promptly struck him out with a fastball.

Dexter suffered a dislocation and break in his arm when he attempted a sliding catch on a fly ball during their game against Bellarmine. Dexter had surgery and was out for the rest of the season. He had been a pinch runner before but had not hit before his at bat during the fifth inning.

Kalush finished the day with a complete game victory with 12 strikeouts.

The home plate umpire also seemed to have a controversial strike zone. Koepfgen struck out to end the sixth with an outside pitch while senior outfielder Jake Martin struck out to end the game on a similar pitch.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Vikings threatened when Martin hit a leadoff double, and Warner followed with a one out single. However, Kalush then struck out Goodspeed and Koepfgen to end the inning.

Despite the early exit from the playoffs, the Vikings surpassed expectations and can still appreciate the season they have had.

"We had a great season," Paly head coach Joel Kaufman said. "The kids did their best and showed a lot of heart."

The JV team already shows a lot of promise with two players already brought up to play for the varsity team. Outfielder Michael Martin and pitcher Chris Gonnerman, both sophomores, have both received playing time to signify that the rebuilding process has only just begun.

Other members of the JV team also sat in the dugout in support of varsity.

"We’ll have 11 seniors next year, and the JV team is going to be strong, so we’ll have plenty of talent to choose from," said Kaufman. "To our seniors Kopefgen, Jake, Andrew and Wilder, we wish them all well."