CHAMPAIGN — The stakes couldn't have been higher on Saturday as the Danville Area Community College Jaguars and Parkland College Cobras faced off in a pair of high-intensity postseason clashes. In baseball, the Jaguars battled for the Region 24-A championship, while the Lady Jaguars took on the Lady Cobras in a Central District semifinal just down the way.
In softball, the Lady Cobras came out swinging, plating five runs in the bottom of the first inning and adding another in the fourth to build a commanding 6-0 lead. The Lady Jaguars, true to their fighting spirit, mounted a rally in the top of the seventh with three runs, but it wasn't enough, falling 6-3.
"That has been the M.O. of the season," said DACC softball coach Matt Cervantes, reflecting on the comeback effort. "They are a special team. They worked well together and never quit on anything. This is one of the best groups I have coached, and I hope it's not done because we have a chance to get in as an at-large bid. It stings a little, but I am so proud of them for how they compete."
The Lady Jaguars had two golden opportunities with the bases loaded in the fourth and fifth innings but couldn't deliver the timely hit needed to cut into the lead. "We had chances and didn't get a timely hit. That's just softball. It stinks at times, but that's how the game goes," Cervantes added. "Sometimes it goes our way, sometimes it doesn't, but these girls give it their all."
Ella Myers and Chloe Hunt led the charge at the plate with three hits each, while Tristen Ring drove in two runs with a double and Kendall Rannebarger added an RBI. The Lady Jaguars finished the season with an impressive 49-14 record and now await word on a potential at-large bid to the NJCAA Division II National Tournament, with brackets set to be announced today at 3 p.m.
On the baseball diamond, the Jaguars struck first with an RBI single from Drew Wichtowski in the opening inning. But the Cobros responded in a big way, scoring three in the third, five in the fourth, three in the seventh, and two in the eighth to secure a 13-1 victory.
"We gave up a lot of free bases and didn't control the 90 feet between each base," said DACC baseball coach Clayton Hicks. "We had about 10 walks, and if you combine some errors and hit-by-pitches, that's the difference. When you play a team like this, you have to protect the baseball, and we didn't."
For both programs, the season may have ended earlier than hoped, but the grit and determination shown by these Jaguars teams will leave a lasting mark on the diamond and in the hearts of their fans.