The Viking varsity baseball team’s three-week run without loss came to a dramatic end Wednesday with a 7-6 loss to the Milpitas Trojans in which the Vikings (10-7, 7-4 league) missed a chance at a comeback by just a few inches.

With Paly down 7-5 coming into the bottom of seventh, senior Viking shortstop Tyger Pederson led off, launching a first-pitch triple to deep center field. Sophomore center fielder Joc Pederson followed up with a single to left center to bring Paly within a run of sending the game to extra innings. Senior catcher Peter Abrams moved the latter Pederson to third with a sacrifice fly and then starting pitcher and first baseman Will Goodspeed stepped to the plate.

Goodspeed fell behind in the count 1-2 and then took a swing at a low fourth pitch. The umpire said Goodspeed missed the ball and had struck out, ending the game and stranding Pederson just 90 feet from a tie. Both Goodspeed and Paly head coach Dave Jefferson immediately protested the call, insisting that Goodspeed had fouled the pitch off. After a brief conference, the base and plate umpires confirmed the call to hand Paly its first loss in eight games.

“My boys were in a position to win that game and they didn’t even give us a fair shot at competing,” Jefferson said. “I’m not going disrespect the umpires, but I’m just gonna ask him ‘Why are you leaving? On a foul ball?'”

Though Goodspeed eventually rejoined his teammates in the dugout, Jefferson followed the umpires as they hurried off the field, arguing that the game should go on. After a brief exchange, the umpires ejected Jefferson. Even though the game had ended, that ejection meant that Jefferson could not coach Friday’s rematch against Milpitas.

Paly had led most of the game on another single-inning offensive explosion. After Goodspeed gave up a towering home run to put Milpitas up, 1-0, the middle of the Viking lineup put up four runs of its own on a pair of past balls and senior right fielder Will Holder’s double to deep left center.

Milpitas scored more consistently over the next four innings, however, as Goodspeed gave up six more runs on walks and consistent Trojan base hitting. Milpitas’ relief pitch silenced Paly’s juggernaut offense, limiting the Vikings to just one score for the rest of the game.

“That’s one game out eight or nine,” Jefferson said. “They [must] bounce back Friday and give it their best shot.”

The loss drops the Vikings into fourth place, but they will face off against the Trojans again at 3:30 p.m. on Friday in Milpitas.