Cianfrocca’s Blast Lifts Mount St. Dominic to State Title Over No. 1 Donovan Catholic

photo by: Anthony Ferrara | coverage: Antonio Morales

The moment every softball player dreams of — final inning, tied against the top-ranked team in the state, and a chance to be the hero.

Jillian Cianfrocca didn’t just dream it — she lived it.

The senior crushed a go-ahead solo home run in the top of the 7th inning to lead Mount St. Dominic to a stunning 4-3 victory over Donovan Catholic, snapping an 11-year state title drought and capping off a gritty playoff run with championship gold.

“Going up to bat in the 7th, I knew this was going to be my last time up,” said Cianfrocca. “I was just trying to get on base somehow so my teammates could potentially drive me in. I tried to stay calm in the moment and focus on what my job was.”

Coach Rob Stern’s squad embraced the moment, leaning on a senior-heavy lineup and strong pitching from Ava Kelshaw, who went the distance with 7 strikeouts and 7 hits allowed. After a tougher start to the season, the Lions found their rhythm down the stretch and peaked at the perfect time.

“Coach Stern always talks about wanting to be in big moments like this,” said Cianfrocca. “So I tried to embrace that.”

Mount struck early with three runs in the second inning, but Donovan Catholic — the state’s top team for most of the year — answered back, tying it up with single runs in the first, fourth, and fifth innings. It was shaping up to be another Donovan comeback story, until Cianfrocca's bat flipped the script in the most dramatic way possible.

“This win means everything to us,” she added. “We worked so hard to get to where we are and we all fought equally hard for this win. After having some setbacks in the beginning of the season, it was so rewarding to fight our way back to the top and win gold for the first time since 2014!”

With the championship victory, Mount St. Dominic finishes the season 27-4, while delivering one of the year’s most memorable upsets. More importantly, they reminded the state what perseverance, confidence, and clutch moments can do — especially when you believe in each other.