Baseball

Top-seeded Jackson-Reed captured the 2026 DCSAA Baseball Championship in dramatic fashion on Sunday, defeating second-seeded St. Albans 1-0 at Talbot Field on a walk-off passed ball in the bottom of the seventh inning. The championship victory marked Jackson-Reed’s second DCSAA baseball title in the past three seasons and served as redemption after last year’s championship loss to St. Albans.

What began as a tense pitchers’ duel remained scoreless deep into the final inning as both teams received dominant performances on the mound. St. Albans junior George Minjack was outstanding, allowing just four hits while striking out seven batters across six-plus innings. Jackson-Reed senior Teddy Benach matched him inning for inning, delivering a masterful complete-game performance with 11 strikeouts while surrendering only two singles and one walk.

With the game still tied in the bottom of the seventh, Jackson-Reed found its opportunity. Leadoff batter Andrew Saad reached base on an error before pinch runner Petar Dunn entered the game. Gabriel Brauss advanced Dunn to second with a sacrifice bunt, and another defensive miscue placed runners on second and third with one out. After Tommy Gore was intentionally walked to load the bases, Minjack jumped ahead of Ben Shapiro in the count 0-2.

However, the next pitch skipped past the catcher and rolled to the backstop, allowing Dunn to race home uncontested with the game-winning run as Jackson-Reed players stormed the field in celebration.

The tightly contested championship showcased elite pitching and defense throughout the afternoon before Jackson-Reed ultimately secured the title in walk-off fashion.