It was as if the Pleasant Grove softball players were involved in some sort a body-snatching ritual to end last week.
    If that wasn't it, how do you explain this?
    On Thursday, the Vikings pulled off the most shocking upset of the year, stealing a perfect season from Spanish Fork with a 7-6 home win. It was perhaps one of Pleasant Grove's biggest victories in school history considering the Dons' No. 1 position in the Tribune Power Rankings, their honorable mention in the recent USA Today/NFCA High School Top 25 Poll, and their 19-0 record before the Region 4 game.
    But the very next day, the Vikings lost 4-3 to Mountain View, a Class 4A team with only six wins all season.
    At the same time, the upset proved two things: 1) Spanish Fork, a favorite for the Class 5A state title, is beatable this late in the regular season and 2) the Vikings could be very dangerous in the postseason, though they have a young team that features a freshman as the No. 1 hurler.
    "I think the win is awesome," Pleasant Grove coach Kale Gillman said before the Mountain View disappointment. "We played like we had nothing to lose. They played loose. I told them they could play well against the best team out there. We just hoped for the best."
    The second-year coach also said luck played a role in the win, which gave the Vikings a 9-9 overall record and helped
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them secure a playoff spot: "I told them that if we stay close, luck could help us."
    Earlier in the season, the Dons beat the Vikings 14-2.
    It also helped that the Vikings came out like they were Spanish Fork, owning a 5-1 lead after the first inning. That allowed freshman Angie Mikalauski to pitch one of her best games, forcing the Dons - who had to switch up their lineup because one of the starters was out - to not have much production until their final at-bat.
    In the top of the seventh, the Dons managed five runs to cut the lead to 7-6 but Mikalauski remained poise and earned the win. Second baseman Haley Engerman and shortstop Lisa Cascleberry were also solid for the Vikings, their coach said.
    "Sometimes a game like this is good for progress," Gillman said. "We might not be able to compete with every team in the state like that, but sometimes a game like this is a good starting point."
    csun@sltrib.com