Donovan’s bats lead them to the NJSIAA South Jersey Non-Public A Title
Donovan Catholic celebrating with the South Jersey Non-Public A Trophy after defeating SJV 8-4. 6/5/25 Photo by Eric Braun
Toms River – After falling to rival St. John Vianney the last two seasons, Donovan Catholic reclaimed the top spot in South Jersey Non-Public A with an 8-4 victory and will play for their first Non-Public A state championship since 2022.
Donovan’s big inning came in the bottom of the 4th when they scored five runs to give them an 8-4 lead. The Griffins first five batters reached base to score the first four runs of the inning. Senior Christina Ginex hit a 2-run single to score Isabella Maria, who reached on a walk, and Olivia Kurth who was hit by a pitch.
The biggest play of the game came on the very next pitch when Jaelynn Nunez hit a 2-run line drive home run to left field to score Ginex and make it 7-4. Nunez, who is a junior transfer from Toms River East, went 2-for-3 with three RBIs in the game.
Jaelynn Nunez hit a 2-run home run in the 5th inning against SJV. 6/5/25. Photo by Eric Braun
“I was just looking at anything that was close,” Nunez said. “I just wanted to hit it, whether it was a single or double. I just wanted to take it somewhere.”
Nunez, who is a junior catcher, has made a big impact in her first season as a Griffin. She is batting .493 with 9 home runs and 33 RBIs. She also has the responsibility of catching three different pitchers.
“She (Nunez) has been a big addition,” Donovan Catholic Head Coach Debbie Schwartz said. “ She has been a big presence behind the plate and she has tremendous power at the plate and she has delivered this year. We weren’t sure with her coming in from a public school to this kind of competition, but she has matured tremendously through the course of this season to prepare herself for these big situations.”
The Griffins did not have the start that they would have hoped for in a championship game. With two outs in the top of the 1st inning, Mia Favato hit a hard line drive to right field that Gia Gordon could not control, scoring Brynn Utter, who reached on a fielder’s choice. The Lancers were able to add two more runs with a single to right field by Olivia Lombardi to score Gabby Gonzalez and Favato.
Lombardi continued her great freshman season for SJV. She drove in three runs and then gave the Lancers a 4-3 lead in the top of the 4th inning after Donovan tied the game with a solo home run.
Olivia Lombardi went 2-for-3 with two runs scored against RBC on 4/30/25. Photo by Nicholas Doll
Donovan’s starting pitcher Gylian Hixenbaugh’s only earned run allowed was on the solo home run to start the 4th inning. Hixenbaugh retired six straight hitters from the end of the 1st inning to the 3rd inning and only allowed three hits in the game. Senior Sophia Senger came in and pitched four shutout innings in relief and got out of a bases loaded jam in the top of the 6th inning.
Gylian Hixenbaugh pitched 1 and 2/3 inning of relief and struck out 3 batters against STA in South Jersey Non-Public A Semifinal. Photo by Tom Smith
“I trust every single one of these girls,” Ginex said. “If one person made a mistake, we had their back. We trust every single one on this team as a family. I would not trade these girls for anyone else.”
Christina Ginex celebrating after hitting a double. 6/5/25 Photo by Eric Braun
Ginex not only played a big part at the plate for Donovan, but also made an important defensive play to keep the Lancers off the scoreboard in the top of the 6th inning. With runners on the corners with one out, Ginex fielded a ground ball hit by Nicole Giglio and threw home to Nunez who applied the tag on Lombardi for the second out.
Donovan was able to chip away at the Lancers lead with one run in the 1st inning and two runs in the 3rd inning. Nunez was hit by a pitch with bases loaded to score Maria in the first inning. In the 3rd inning, Senger hit a triple to left field to score courtesy runner Madison Kelliher, who ran for Nunez after she singled. Senger would later score on a single by Gordan, who went 2-for-3, to tie the game 3-3.
Sophia Senger making the last out of the game after fielding a ground ball. 6/5/25 Photo by Eric Braun
The Lancers had Donovan’s number last year, beating the Griffins in the Shore Conference Tournament final and in the South Jersey Non-Public A semifinals. The Shore Conference Tournament final was an instant classic with SJV winning 10-9 in 9 innings. SJV built a 5-0 lead in that game, but Donovan was able to come back to take a 6-5 lead in the 5th inning before falling.
“I am most proud that they (SJV) did jump on us and we made mistakes and they capitalized, but we responded,” Schwartz said. “Last year in the Shore Conference Tournament we did the same thing, but we did not finish. Today we finished and I am really proud of their effort and their willingness to stay in the moment.”
