By WESLEY HALLMAN / Sports Editor

The Spain Park High School baseball team saw its 2011 season come to an end following a 6-5 loss in extra innings to Huntsville in the deciding third game in a best-of-three series in the quarterfinal round of the Alabama High School Athletic Association Class 6A playoffs.

Huntsville scored two runs in the top of the eighth inning, but the Jaguars could manage only one run in the bottom half of the inning in the loss.

After Huntsville took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, the Jaguars responded with two runs in the bottom of the second inning to tie the game at 2-2.

Huntsville added two runs in the top of the third inning to take a 4-2 lead. Mikey White cut the lead to 4-3 with his solo homer in the bottom of the fifth inning before Spain Park tied the game at 4-4 with an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth inning.

The Panthers scored two runs in the top of the eighth inning to take a 6-4 lead. Carter White cut the lead to 6-5 with his one-out single in the bottom of the eighth inning, but the game ended on a ground out and a strikeout.

Austin Veteto led the Jaguars (37-14) at the plate as he finished 3-for-4 in the defeat. Veteto drove in two runs and scored one run.

Carter White went 2-for-5 at the plate and drove in  one run. Chris Ellis finished 2-for-3 at the plate and scored one run. Mikey White went 1-for-5 with a solo homer.

Alex Close finished 1-for-3 at the plate and scored one run. Nathan Brock went 1-for-3 at the plate. Paul Angel drove in one run. Austin Walker and Josh Close scored one run in the defeat.

Colton Freeman took the loss on the mound in relief after giving up one earned run on three hits with four strikeouts and three walks in 2 1/3 innings.

Mikey White started on the mound and gave up two earned runs on four hits with five strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings. Ellis gave up one hit with two strikeouts in one inning.