DANVILLE — “Ain’t no party like a Jaguar party, because a Jaguar party don’t stop.”
That chant during games for the Danville Area Community College softball team was put to the test on Sunday.
After losing to Heartland College on Saturday, the Lady Jaguars rallied to beat Lewis & Clark Community College and Heartland twice to win the Region 24-A Championship.
“This group is battle tested. They work hard together on and off the field,” DACC coach Matt Cervantes said. “I don’t think any challenge scares them. They go after it, they go do a job and today was no different and that’s what was so successful.”
The Jaguars was the highest seed of the three teams and did not get off on the right foot on Saturday with a 5-1 loss to Heartland.
But after being down 4-0 in the first inning of the first game on Sunday against Lewis & Clark, the Lady Jaguars woke up.
After an RBI triple from Chloe Hunt in the second, Ava Olson drove in a run on a groundout and Kaitlyn Drew would get an RBI single in the fourth.
The Trailblazers scored two runs in the fifth, before DACC rallied in the sixth. Olson got a triple and would go on to score because of an error. Another error would bring in a another run to tie the game and and an error on an ground ball hit by Ella Myers brought in the winning run in an 7-6 win.
“Our mentality flipped,” Cervantes said. “Today we started playing that we had been all season and on the first day, we were worrying about the unknown. We had a slow start against Lewis & Clark and for them to gut that win out and do a job and come out the next game and still compete, it is is a true testament to not just the ones getting after it, but the whole team killed it today.”
In the first game against Heartland, Myers had three hits with a home run and two RBIs for DACC in the 12-3 win, while Kendall Rannebarger had two hits with a home run and three RBIs, Ka’Leah Bellik and Olson each had two hits and two RBIs, Drew had three hits and an RBI and Marin Gonski had two hits and an RBI.
“I think the main thing for me is going out there without putting pressure on myself,” Myers said. “Trusting myself and my abilities and allowing my self to play free and it (hitting a home run) just happens.”
The Lady Jaguars then knocked out Hawks 10-1 in five innings. Drew had three hits and two RBIs, while Bellik, Myers and Tristan Ring each had two hits and two RBIs, Gonski had two hits and an RBI, Olson had an RBI and Rannebarger had two hits.
“The offense was fantastic,” Cervantes said. “In the series against Heartland, we were moving and grooving and it started with Ella’s home run and Kendall goes yard after that. Up and down the lineup, Kaitlyn Drew was a catalyst in the two-hole for us and same for Ava in the leadoff spot, but they were who they were all season and that was exciting to see.”
In all three games, Kenzie Fasig was the winner. She came in for Dakota Harrison in the second inning of the Lewis & Clark game to finish that game and also pitched the two games with Heartland. She had eight strikeouts for the day and really didn’t have many problems until a ball hit her shin in the second game against Heartland.
“I would say that we came in and had our vibe today,” Fasig said. “Yesterday we were flat and complacent, I thought. We got the mojo back and we turned the switch real quick. My arm feels good, my leg not so much, but I feel good.”
“I get emotional thinking about it because she kept competing all day,” Cervantes said. “We had a plan, but Kenzie looked at me and said she wanted the ball and she pitched lights out. To do what she did in coming in the second inning of game 1, pitch seven innings in game 2 and five innings in game 3, she absolutely owned her role today.”
Myers is one of six local players on the team. The former Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin product is pleased to work with Danville’s Bellik and Rannebarger, Hoopeston Area’s Macy Warner, Westville’s Lani Gondzur and Fountain Central’s Zoe Foxworthy-DeJournett.
“A lot of my (Post) 210 players came with me and that is great,” Myers said. “One of my 210 players play at Parkland so it is nice to play against her. I think it is is just the whole family thing behind it, it gets us through it. We have a tough program and we have each other back.”
“I think what’s cool is that (assistant softball coach Kelley Cervantes) and I have seen those girls grow up,” Cervantes said. “I think what is exciting is that we get to coach them and they are every bit who we thought they are and I love this group and everything about who they are and who they encompass because everyone is involved.”
The Lady Jaguars are 48-12 and will start play in the Region 24 Championship Bracket on Friday at Parkland College. DACC is rated No. 3 behind No. 1 Parkland and No. 2 St. Louis Community College with Illinois Central College rated No. 4.
Parkland will face ICC at 10 a.m. with DACC taking on St. Louis at 12:30 p.m. The winners of those games will play at 3 p.m. and the losers will play each other at 5:30 p.m.
“Parkland will host and we will have to see how it comes together,” Cervantes said. “I think these girls deserve a couple of days off. They are going to reset and get their minds right and then we are going to be ready to go.”
“I think it is nice,” Myers said. “I think it is a good redemption run for us because they (Parkland) took three from us that they shouldn’t have, so this is going to be our get-back.”