SAN DIEGO, Aug. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The East squad scored three runs in the ninth inning for a 5-4 win over the West in front of a standing room crowd of 2,725 at the fifth annual Aflac All-American High School Baseball Classic at San Diego State University's Tony Gwynn Stadium. The Aflac Classic is the nation's premier high school baseball game, featuring the best 38 players in the country entering their senior year. It was the East's second victory in five games; the West had previously won three-straight Aflac Classics.
Down 4-2 entering the top of the 9th inning, the East posted three runs on three walks, two wild pitches and a sacrifice fly by MVP Tim Beckham of Griffin, Ga. Beckham was 1-2 with a triple, a walk, two sacrifice flies and three RBI overall. Reliever Jack Armstrong of Jupiter, Fla., son of former Major League pitcher Jack Armstrong Sr., pitched two scoreless innings with four strikeouts for the win.
"The way this went down is a dream come true, a real honor," Beckham said. "I've been dreaming of something like this my whole life."
East Team Manager Mike Sheppard, Jr., who is head coach at Seton Hall Prep in West Orange, N.J., said, "I thought it was an outstanding game. We had opportunities early on and couldn't capitalize, so it was great to come through at the end when it mattered most."
The West squad was led by catcher Kyle Skipworth of Riverside, Calif., who knocked in three runs on a two-run home run and a sacrifice fly. Designated hitter Isaac Galloway of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. also contributed two hits, a stolen base and a run scored to the West team effort.
The complete Aflac All-American Baseball Classic box score is available at http://www.aflacallamerican.com/.
Prior to the game, Destin Hood of Eight Mile, Ala. and Ethan Martin of Toccoa, Ga. were co-winners of the Aflac All-American Home Run Derby. Both Hood and Martin hit five home runs in the final round of the contest, sending them to a tie-breaking round in which they each hit two more to share the title of Home Run Derby Champion.
The 2007 Aflac All-American Baseball Classic raised a record $150,000 for San Diego's Rady Children's Hospital and Health Center and $20,000 for Coaches Curing Kids Cancer, the game's official charity partners, as part of Aflac's ongoing commitment to support research and treatment of pediatric cancer. In just five years, the game has raised $525,000 for charity.
Friday evening at the Aflac All-American Awards dinner, Tim Melville from Holt High School (Wentzville, Mo.) won the fourth annual Jackie Robinson Award as the Aflac National High School Player of the Year. Melville was presented with the award by Sonya Pankey, granddaughter of the late Hall of Fame baseball player Jackie Robinson. Melville was also named Baseball America's Pitching Prospect of the Year.
In a balloting of coaches, players and staff, Sonny Gray (Smyrna HS) from Smyrna, Tenn., and Brent Warren (Xavier HS) from Robins, Iowa, were named the winners of this year's Sportsmanship Award. Gray, a 6-foot, 185-pound right- handed pitcher, was recognized for his decision to come to San Diego for this week's festivities despite not being able to play in the Classic because of local eligibility rules. Warren, a 6-3, 175-pound outfielder, competed in San Diego, just eight months after open heart surgery that nearly ended his athletic career.
Participants in the Aflac Classic are selected by Baseball America and prep scouting organization Perfect Game USA.
About Aflac:
For more than 50 years, Aflac products have given policyholders the opportunity to direct cash where it is needed most when a life-interrupting medical event causes financial challenges. Aflac is the number one provider of guaranteed-renewable insurance in the United States and the number one insurance company in terms of individual insurance policies in force in Japan. Our insurance products provide protection to more than 40 million people worldwide. Aflac has been included in Fortune magazine's listing of America's Most Admired Companies for seven consecutive years and in Fortune magazine's list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America for nine consecutive years. Aflac has also been recognized three times by both Fortune magazine's listing of the Top 50 Employers for Minorities and Working Mother magazine's listing of the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers. Aflac Incorporated is a Fortune 500 company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AFL. To find out more about Aflac, visit aflac.com.
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