The Palo Alto Vikings baseball team lost 12-2 to Homestead High School Friday, ending its three-game win streak and splitting the series with the Mustangs.

Viking pitchers struggled the entire game. Senior starting pitcher Will Goodspeed gave up three runs in the first inning, surrendering the first two on a sharp double down the left field line. Goodspeed also walked three batters in the inning, which helped the Mustangs get on the board again to go up, 3-0. Head coach Dave Jefferson said that the Vikings could fix the problem with their pitching.

“We just got to throw strikes,” Jefferson said, “we walked a few and hit one, so we just have to go back to throwing strikes.”

The Mustangs tacked on another run on a sacrifice fly in the second inning after a ball got by senior shortstop Tyger Pederson, putting Homestead up by four. Paly was able to respond with one run of their own junior first baseman Will Holder doubled off the left field wall and scored on a sacrifice fly from junior second baseman Steven Burk.

Goodspeed again struggled in the fourth as he issued a walk and then gave up a two-run home run to left center field to make the score 6-1. Goodspeed was replaced one out later by senior Tommy Dalton, but not before balking to put two runners in scoring position. Those runs later scored on an infield error.

“They [Homestead] definitely hit the ball well,” Jefferson said, “so we have to throw strikes.”

Paly senior outfielder Kevin Johnson appeared to jumpstart the Vikings’ stagnant with a home run of his own in the bottom half of the inning, but that was Paly’s last hit of the inning and their final run of the game.

Paly’s pitching problems flared up a final time in the sixth inning as Dalton gave up a home run to left field on the first pitch, making Homestead’s lead 10-2. After he gave up a double off the left field fence to make it 11-2, Dalton was pulled for junior Colin Byrne, who allowed another double and the final Homestead run.

Paly’s offense could not put together the rallies that had helped it win three straight games coming into this second contest with Homestead. Even in the final inning, Paly only managed to get runners on base through a walk and an infield error. Jefferson said the team can find its winning ways again this week.

“We just wanted to split and that’s what we did,” Jefferson said, “Now we move on to league [games],”

The Vikings will next play Cupertino High School 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at Paly.