East beats West in San Diego's second Aflac game

08-12-2007

By Tom Shanahan, San Diego Hall of Champions

The Aflac All-American High School Baseball Classic came to San Diego for a second straight year, and once again there was no shortage of San Diego contributions.

Valhalla’s Ryan O’Sullivan and Fallbrook’s Clark Murphy were two of the 38 prep All-Americans that played in the game televised nationally by Fox Sports. The West won 5-4 Saturday before a sellout of 2,725 fans at San Diego State’s Tony Gwynn Stadium that matched the nation’s best high school juniors.

O’Sullivan, a pitcher/shortstop, also was one of two Aflac All-Americans that have given an oral commitment to SDSU baseball coach Tony Gwynn. Isaac Galloway, an outfielder from Los Osos in Rancho Cucamonga, also has committed early to the Aztecs.

On the West coaching staff, Montgomery High’s Manny Hermosillo served as the head coach and one of his two assistants was Cecil Espy, the former Major Leaguer from Point Loma High. Espy is the high school coach at Fort Worth Country Day after playing with the Texas Rangers.

The honorary chairman was Ozzie Smith, who began is Hall-of-Fame career with four seasons with the Padres (1978-81) and is still considered a fan favorite in San Diego after all these years.

Galloway (6-3, 190) sparked the West to a 3-0 lead after three innings with one run in the first and two in third inning. His first-inning single up the middle advanced shortstop Andy Burns (Fort Collins, Colo.) from first to third base and Burns later scored on a sacrifice fly by catcher Kyle Skipworth (Patriot High of Riverside).

Galloway was limited to playing designated-hitter because of a sprained ankle, but he still threatened to put up another first-inning run with his speed. He stole second base and advanced to third on a passed ball, but he was left stranded.

In the third, Galloway singled with two outs and came home on a two-run home run by Skipworth.

Galloway, who finished 2-for-3 with one run scored, was one of six players nominated for Aflac’s Jackie Robinson Award as the national high school player of the year. The award went to the East’s Tim Melville, a right-handed pitcher from Holt High in Wentzville, Mo. It was presented to him Friday night at dinner at the Hall of Champions by the granddaughter of Jackie Robinson, Sonya Pankey.

“It was great playing on a field where I’m going to be playing in college,” Galloway said. “This is a nice place, and it will be great to play for a Hall-of-Famer.”

O’Sullivan (6-1, 180) pitched the second inning and set down the East in order with a popup to the catcher, a fly ball to center field and a strikeout. He entered the game at second base in the seventh inning and struck out twice in his only at bats.

Murphy (6-3, 200), who has committed to UCLA, started at first base and was 0-for-4. He struck out, hit the ball hard twice to right and short and reached base safely in the eighth on a ground-ball error.

“The experience of the whole week was awesome,” Hermosillo said. “Ryan pitched well and struggled at the plate, but the future is well set for both Ryan and Clark. You have to remember that everybody out here was an all-star and some of them our future Major Leaguers.”

Earlier in the day, Murphy was one of four players selected to participate in the home run derby. He stroked four home runs in the contest but was one shy of a tie for first place between Destin Hood (Eight Mile, Ala.) and Ethan Martin (Toccoa, Ga.) with five. Hood and Martin shared the award after they tied with two apiece in the tiebreaker round.

The West was leading 4-2 until the East rallied with three runs in the top of the ninth inning as the East capitalized on walks and wild pitches. The East's Tim Beckham (Griffin, Ga.), who had three RBIS as a second baseman and shortstop, was the MVP.

Playing time is determined before the game by Perfect Game, a scouting service that selects the All-Americans for Aflac, so Hermosillo was unable to relieve pitcher Aaron Hicks when he struggled with his control in the ninth.

The Aflac game benefitted Rady's Children's Hospital in San Diego. Aflac presented a check for $150,000 to the hospital during the Friday night dinner at the Hall of Champions.