Before the tournament, the Bulldogs (25-9) tabbed D.C. states as a “revenge tour.” After a heartbreaking loss in the Interstate Athletic Conference semifinals, they needed catharsis. With a dogpile on the mound at Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy in Southeast, with Basso at the bottom after clinching their first DCSAA title since 2016, they got it.
“It’s really fulfilling,” Basso said. “We started the year hot, expectations started early, and we fulfilled them all through the year — and then come to IAC and have one rough game. We wanted to come barrel through D.C.’s, make no game close. And we did exactly that.”
All season, St. Albans rode its dominant pitching staff and stellar defense to victories. It entered the championship game allowing just three runs per game. Offensive firepower, though, became a question, no more so than in its 3-2 loss to St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes in the IAC semifinals.
In the DCSAA semifinal, St. Albans Coach RJ Johnsen ripped up his original plan and turned to sophomore Maryland commit Myles Upchurch, knowing that, through little fault of his own, Basso entered the tournament 0-3 in semifinal games. Even more so, it gave Basso the chance to close his high school career against Jackson-Reed (24-7), winner of 30 straight D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association championships and the reigning DCSAA runners-up.
“We’ve talked about the history and tradition of St. Albans baseball being one that’s developed some incredible pitchers over the years,” Johnsen said. “We got to see Owen get a chance to do this in his final high school outing, and he was incredible.”
Early run support and an aggressive approach on the base paths left the Bulldogs with little doubt. In the bottom of the first inning, an RBI single from Upchurch gave the team a 2-0 lead. An RBI triple by junior infielder Derek Desmarais helped build a 4-1 lead in the second. The team added six stolen bases to tack on two more runs, with just two unsuccessful tries: both on attempts to steal home.
With runs at his back, Basso — one of three future Division I pitchers on the staff — got to dictate his own legacy.
“He went out on a high note,” said senior infielder Clark Mocek.