The Danville Area Community College baseball team had hoped for a stronger finish to their regular season home schedule, but Friday’s doubleheader at Danville Stadium didn’t go as planned. The Jaguars dropped both games to Parkland College, falling 16-5 and 12-2 in what was an emotional day for the program.
“It was not a great start to the series, but we have some more games and we can bounce back,” said DACC coach Clayton Hicks after the first game. “It’s hard to put into words, but it is the last games for Braxton Waller, Zach Russell, Garrett Fultz, Eric Rodriguez, and Jason Dorning. It is an emotional day for all of us, especially if you are talking about guys like Waller, who has been the face of the club for the last two seasons.”
The first game started rough for the Jaguars, as the Cobras jumped out to a 7-0 lead. But DACC showed some fight in the fourth inning, cutting the deficit to 7-5. The rally started with the bases loaded, and Russell drew a walk to plate the first run. Fultz followed with a two-run single, Jaydon Riggs brought home another run on a fielder’s choice, and Drew Wichtowski singled to score Fultz. It was a spark of life that seemed to give the home crowd hope.
However, Parkland responded with a nine-run fifth inning, shutting out DACC in the bottom half to seal the win. Coach Hicks pointed to self-inflicted mistakes as the turning point: “We beat ourselves. The offense came out and scored five runs. We had back-to-back walks to start the inning and added an error to that. We had four or five walks in that inning, and when you don’t allow the defense to work and you start giving up free bases, it just starts to snowball on you. Hopefully, Eric Rodriguez can bail us out and get us back.”
In the second game, Rodriguez kept things close through the first three innings, with Parkland holding just a 4-1 lead. But the Cobras broke through in the fourth, scoring eight runs to take control and complete the sweep. Wichtowski finished with two hits and an RBI, while Waller added a solo home run to highlight the Jaguars’ offensive efforts.
Now sitting at 21-27 on the season, DACC will travel to Parkland on Saturday for another doubleheader. Coach Hicks is already looking ahead, knowing these two teams are likely to meet again soon. “They are locked in at No. 2, and we are locked in at No. 5,” Hicks said, referencing the upcoming District Tournament. “So we are going to see them sometime next week, and we have to find a way to gain some momentum and get over the hump against them. You never like to lose to anyone, especially someone as close as Parkland, so we just have to come out and compete and find a way to build some positive energy.”
Before the game, the Jaguars honored their sophomores, including Russell, Cameron Feuerborn, game one starter Drew Ogden, Fultz, Landon Gudnanson, Abe Vancampen, Wichtowski, Rodriguez, Dorning, Riggs, Waller, Cain Buhr, and Alec Harrison. It was a bittersweet sendoff, but the team is determined to turn things around when it matters most.