One Step Closer: Unbeaten St. John Vianney advances behind McDougall’s brilliance
HOLMDEL — Madison McDougall delivered a performance worthy of the stage Wednesday afternoon.
The St. John Vianney senior ace struck out 12 batters in a three-hit shutout and powered the offense with a 4-for-4 day that included two doubles, two home runs, and seven RBI’s as the second-seeded Lancers rolled to an 11-0 victory over third-seeded Red Bank Catholic in the South Jersey Non-Public A semifinals.
The victory kept St. John Vianney unbeaten at 28-0 and punched the Lancers’ ticket to the sectional championship game, where they will travel to face top-seeded Donovan Catholic on Friday at 4 p.m.
McDougall’s dominant outing nearly looked much different in the opening inning.
Red Bank Catholic loaded the bases with no outs after consecutive singles by junior shortstop Grace Lombardi and senior catcher Jayden Kane, in addition to a walk by sophomore pitcher Mackenna Savage. With the potential first run of the game just 60 feet away, McDougall slammed the door, striking out the next three batters over the next 11 pitches to allow the Lancers to escape the inning unscathed.
That sequence set the tone for the remainder of the afternoon.
McDougall allowed just one hit over the final four innings and finished the game with 12 strikeouts, while surrendering only three hits and one walk across five scoreless innings.
St. John Vianney’s Madison McDougall (Photo by SidelineSamsShots)
Meanwhile, the Lancers steadily built their lead.
Senior third baseman Brynn Utter opened the bottom of the first with a single and then scored when McDougall ripped an RBI double to left field for a 1-0 advantage.
St. John Vianney added two more runs in the third. McDougall doubled again to start the inning before sophomore catcher Olivia Lombardi lined an RBI double to right field. On the ensuing at bat, freshman Olivia Haslacher delivered an RBI single to make it 3-0.
St. John Vianney’s Olivia Lombardi (Photo by SidelineSamsShots)
The Lancers broke the game open in the fourth.
After freshman right fielder Peyton McDougall singled and Utter reached on an error, Madison McDougall crushed a three-run homer to left field, extending the lead to 6-0.
She wasn’t finished.
St. John Vianney plated five more runs in the fifth inning. Lombardi drew a leadoff walk and after two outs, consecutive RBI singles from Peyton McDougall and Utter pushed the lead to 8-0. Moments later, Madison McDougall belted her second three-run homer of the game, a blast to center field that capped the scoring at 11-0 and brought the mercy rule into effect.
St. John Vianney’s Brynn Utter (Photo by SidelineSamsShots)
McDougall credited a simple approach at the plate and the support of her teammates for helping fuel her offensive explosion.
“I just go up there for a basic swing because if I overpower it, I pull my whole front side out. But I’m also listening to my teammates cheer for me and pick me up if I have a bad swing. Then I know I’m going to put the ball in play.”
Utter finished 3-for-4 with three runs scored, while Peyton McDougall added two hits and two runs. Lombardi doubled, drove in a run and scored twice, and Haslacher chipped in a hit, an RBI and a run scored as St. John Vianney collected 12 hits.
Red Bank Catholic finished its season 15-11. Grace Lombardi, Jayden Kane and Savage accounted for the Caseys’ three hits, with Savage delivering a triple in the third inning.
Now the Lancers turn their attention to an encore with Donovan Catholic and a matchup between two of the state’s premier programs with a sectional championship on the line.
“We’re playing against a great team,” St. John Vianney head coach Kim McDougall-Lombardi said. “We’re playing against a great team. Debbie always has her girls top-notch, and we’re just going to go out there and take it one inning and one pitch at a time. That’s all we’re looking to do.”
