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It was the team’s 29th consecutive D.C. public school title.
“We had a great game today,” sophomore infielder Jackson Loomis said. “Everybody’s energy was up. It made me smile. We had a lot of fun. That’s what it’s all about.”
Both the Tigers (22-6) and Penguins (19-5) compiled strong regular season résumés, with Walls emerging as a bona fide challenger to Jackson-Reed’s city dominance despite a lack of field space. Both programs face an annual struggle for resources.
Walls, located in Foggy Bottom, has no field or facilities it can use on its campus. Jackson-Reed, located in Tenleytown, practices on a public grass field that it must spend hours repairing if the weather sours.
“Coming from D.C., we don’t get as many resources as others,” Tigers junior right-hander Quinn Lindblom said. “School Without Walls has the same problem. So I think both teams just had to grit and grind to make it here today.”
For Lindbloom and the Tigers, the grind paid off with another piece of championship and hardware.
“With 29 straight years, there’s a lot of pressure,” Lindblom said. “The goal is always to be the team that doesn’t lose the streak, and these D.C. teams are getting better. So we needed to be 100 percent locked in.”
Jackson-Reed didn’t waste any time, taking a 3-0 lead in the first inning behind a pair of walks, a two-run double from Loomis and an RBI single by senior designated hitter Liam Ervin.
The Penguins’ hopes of dethroning the Tigers were further dented in the second inning when a wild pitch made it 4-0. Jackson-Reed added two more runs in the sixth, which was more than enough support for Lindbloom. Featuring a windup with a big leg kick and a knee-buckling curveball, the junior allowed just a first-inning bloop single while striking out eight in a complete-game performance that earned him championship MVP honors.
Next up for the Tigers: The DCSAA tournament, where private school powers await.
“We’re heading into it with a lot of momentum,” Loomis said.
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