Box Score

SAN DIEGO – The West All-Americans secured a 6-2 victory over the East in front of 7,953 fans at PETCO Park in the ninth annual Perfect Game All-American Classic presented by Rawlings. The win allowed the West to pull even with the East in the all-time series, 4-4-1.

Joey Gallo was named the game's MVP thanks to a monstrous blast to right-centerfield in the bottom of the second inning. The home run travelled 442 feet, the 10th longest of any home run hit at PETCO Park, and came off of a 93 mph Lucas Sims' fastball. Overall Gallo went 1-for-2 with a walk.

That home run put the West team on top, a lead they would never relinquish.

The West added another run in the second when infielder Tanner Rahier hit an RBI groundout to East shortstop Carlos Correa, scoring Rio Ruiz, who reached base on a walk and advanced to third on a double off the bat of Courtney Hawkins. On the play, East left fielder Skye Bolt sprinted far to his right, and was able to get a glove on Hawkins' blast, but was unable to secure the catch.

With fire-balling right-handed pitcher Duane Underwood on the mound in the bottom of the third, the West broke the game open with four more runs.

C.J. Saylor opened up the frame with a walk, and advanced to third on Andrew Pullin's ground-rule double to left-centerfield. After Nick Williams struck out swinging on a changeup from Underwood, C.J. Hinojosa hit a line drive over the head of Correa to drive in Saylor and the third run for the West. Trey Williams reached on an error on a ground ball to third base, scoring Pullin, and after a walk to Gallo, Ruiz opened the game up with a two-run single hit through the right-side of the infield that scored both Hinojosa and Williams.

Ruiz was a close contender to Gallo for the game's MVP award, finishing 1-for-1 with two walks, two driven in, one run scored and a stolen base.

Facing left-hander Max Fried, the East scored the first of their two runs in the top of the fourth. Jameis Winston led off the inning with a single to right field, stole second base and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Winston showed his tremendous athletic ability, as well as his baseball savvy, by stealing home.

Winston's single was the only hit of the game for the East, and aside from his single-handed effort to cross homeplate, Fried was sharp, throwing 92-94 with a big, overhand curveball while striking out the side.

The East mounted a comeback in the eighth inning off of another West left-hander, Hunter Virant.

Addison Russell was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, Keon Barnum drew a walk and Corey Seager also reached after being hit by a pitch. Home run derby champion Nelson Rodriguez walked with the bases loaded and still no one out as the East pulled to 6-2.

That would be the end of the scoring in the game, as Virant did a nice job re-establishing himself, striking out Chris Harvey looking on an outside breaking ball, and getting Rhett Wiseman swinging on another breaking pitch in the dirt. Winston ended the inning with a groundout to third.

Overall the fans in attendance were treated to a fairly crisp game, which finished short of the three-hour mark.

Right-handed pitcher Lucas Giolito took the mound for the West to open the game, and threw the hardest of any pitcher in attendance with a 96-97 fastball. Looking cool and composed, he threw strikes, and quickly induced two ground outs to David Dahl and Skye Bolt before getting Correa to fly out to left field.

East starter Lance McCullers followed Giolito with a 1-2-3 inning of his own, showing 96 mph heat getting West leadoff hitter Nick Williams swinging on a high fastball.

Cody Poteet, who also touched 96, threw another perfect frame in the top of the second.

East right-hander Clate Schmidt enjoyed a flawless inning in the fifth, topping out at 94 and recording a pair of strikeouts.

East teammates Carson Fulmer and Tucker Simpson combined for a clean inning in the bottom of the seventh.

Underwood, Austin Fairchild, Ryan McNeil and Matthew Crownover were the other pitchers that had multiple strikeout performances with two each.

Overall the pitching was impressive, as every pitcher had a peak velocity of at least 91 mph. Underwood (96) joined Giolito, McCullers and Poteet among those that threw 96 or better, while Sims, Fried, Schmidt, Walker Weickel, Fulmer and Mitchell Traver all touched 94.

Trey Williams, who started the game in left field and finished it at third base, made a pair of highlight defensive plays.

In the top of the second, he made a sliding catch on a Keon Barnum fly ball to shallow left. He also made the defensive play of the game in the top of the ninth when he robbed Correa of a potential extra-base hit with a diving stab of a hard hit line drive that ended the game.

Correa himself showed why he received the event's Rawlings Defensive Player of the Year award, with rock-steady defense all game long, including a a highlight-reel play of his own when he showed a great vertical leap to take a base hit away from Nick Williams.

Other award winners from the event's annual banquet include McCullers, the Jackie Robinson Player of the Year; Lucas Giolito, the Baseball American Pitcher of the Year; Gallo, the Reebok Offensive Player of the Year; Clate Schmidt, the Perfect Game Nick Adenhart Award; and Alex Bregman, the Evoshield SWAG Award.

To read more coverage from the 2011 Perfect Game All-American Classic, be sure to visit the event's continuous running blog feature.