McDougall Dominates as St. John Vianney Captures SCT Title Over Donovan Catholic

RED BANK — St. John Vianney leaned on both experience and youth to capture the Shore Conference Tournament championship with a 5-1 victory over Donovan Catholic.

Senior ace Madison McDougall once again delivered in the circle and at the plate, while freshman Olivia Haslacher provided a key breakthrough hit as the Lancers continued their dominant 2026 campaign.

McDougall finished with 11 strikeouts and allowed just four hits, continuing a season that has cemented her as one of the state’s top pitchers. At the plate, she drove in three runs, including the decisive two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning.

“I was like I either have to move her [Peyton] over or do something in the gap to get her to move over,” Madison McDougall said. “I wasn’t expecting the home run. I didn’t go into that at bat thinking ‘Oh if I hit a home run, that would be wonderful.’ But I thought base hit, line drive, she gets to second or third and I did my job. Off the bat, I knew it was out and it’s such a great experience telling everybody that I had a sister power moment with my sister.”

McDougall’s dominant outing added to an already historic season. She now has 257 strikeouts this year and 992 for her career, leaving her eight shy of becoming the 27th player in New Jersey history to reach 1,000 career strikeouts.

“It will be a huge accomplishment,” McDougall said. “I couldn’t have done it without my mom and my grandfather. Without them I don’t know where I would be playing softball. There is a huge thank you to them.”

Her season almost never got started. McDougall underwent surgery during the offseason to repair an injury, and after several setbacks there was uncertainty surrounding her availability for opening day. Instead, she returned in time for the start of the season and has produced one of the state’s best all-around campaigns both offensively and in the circle.

“I have coached a lot of tremendous athletes and hardworking athletes,” Lombardi-McDougall said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anybody put in that level of work with the stuff she’s [Madison] had going on these last four years. It’s tremendous to see that she doesn’t feel sorry for herself and just wants to come out and continue to help the team out in any way she can.”

While McDougall led the way, Haslacher delivered one of the game’s biggest moments in the bottom of the third inning. After Donovan Catholic took a 1-0 lead earlier in the inning, Haslacher came to the plate with two outs and runners in scoring position.

Following a nine-pitch at-bat in which she fouled off five straight pitches, the freshman lined a ball down the first-base line to score sophomore Maddi Dumawal and senior Gabby Gonzalez, giving the Lancers a 2-1 advantage. Dumawal entered as a courtesy runner for McDougall after she was hit by a pitch, while Gonzalez reached on a double to right field.

“We worked all season long for this,” Haslacher said. “She [Hixenbaugh] was pitching a lot outside, and I just kept my feet on the line and just drove it and got my team to score.”

Haslacher also collected a single in the second inning as part of a strong performance from SJV’s freshmen.

“Our freshmen came out and proved themselves today,” Lombardi-McDougall said. “They have been battle tested. We played a good schedule and we knew this was going to be the type of game it was going to be. Since day one she [Haslacher] always got a hit. They are not home run hits, but guess what? She does her job. She gets the base hit that you need. As the postseason’s been going on a little bit, I find her to be more confident.”

Donovan Catholic scored its lone run in the top of the third inning. Senior Madison Kelliher opened the frame with an infield single and later came around to score on a two-out triple by senior Caroline Kopp.

Kelliher and Kopp have consistently powered the Griffins offense throughout the SCT, including combining for the game-winning rally in Donovan’s quarterfinal victory over Barnegat.

After falling short in last season’s tournament semifinals to eventual champion Red Bank Catholic, the Lancers entered 2026 determined to reclaim their spot atop the Shore Conference.

“This team is so selfless,” Lombardi-McDougall said. “Nobody cares who gets the winning hit. We just want to win as a team. Last year I think we struggled a little bit. “Obviously we had a down year, but I felt like we were missing a puzzle piece. This year I feel like we’re whole.”

With both teams positioned as contenders in the South Jersey Non-Public A playoffs, the possibility remains for another highly anticipated rematch later this postseason. The Griffins (25-2) secured the top seed and will host either Paul VI or St. Rose in the South Jersey Non-Public A quarterfinals on Friday, May 29. Meanwhile, the second-seeded Lancers (25-0) will welcome either Immaculata or Our Lady of Mercy that same day.