PGF All-American Game: ASU-Bound Jazmine Hill Named MVP as West Wins Again

The 2019 PGF All-American Game capped off a great day of softball at Bill Barber Park in Irvine, California as top graduated seniors from across the nation finished off their pre-college careers in a contest televised live on ESPNU.

It was the fourth year of the All-American Game, which quickly has become the preeminent softball all-star game in the nation, and Saturday afternoon saw the West run its record to 3-1 with a 6-3 win.

The West scored five runs in the top of the third as Ciara Briggs (LSU) and Alyssa Garcia (UCLA) singled and Maya Brady (UCLA) reached on a fielder’s choice before two walks and a passed ball made it 3-0.  Raellen Gutierrez (LSU) then stroked a two-run single for the West.

The East scored all its runs in the bottom of the 5^th as Jenna Johnson (Alabama) and Angela Zedak (singled) and then, on a bizarre play, a two-out ground ball to the third baseman by Isabella Dayton (Arizona) was errantly thrown down the first base line and the error allowed the two baserunners and even Dayton to score.

Jazmine Hill (Arizona State) capped off the scoring by lining an RBI single up the middle in the top of the 7^th inning.

Hill was named the MVP of the game—the first year the PGF All-American Game has tabbed an MVP—after going 2-for-3 with a single, double and two RBIs. She also was outstanding on defense, helping start a double play and making a great catch on a line drive to her at third base.

“It was just a great experience, meeting all these new girls and coming together on the spot,” she said post-game after the team photos were taken in centerfield. “We just had to do what we do and that’s play softball and have fun while doing it.”

She said she was happy with her performance in the game, especially on defense.

“I just knew I had to get my pitcher’s back and whatever comes to me, stop it and do what I can.”

Lexi Sosa (UCLA) had impressed all week with her bat in the championship run for her A’s – Mercado/Smith team, but she was called upon to throw four innings for the West and was the winning pitcher, giving up no runs and just two hits while striking out two.

She said after the game one of the best parts of the All-American Game was getting to play with her best friend and Mater Dei Catholic (Chula Vista, California) high school teammate Alyssa Garcia.

“It’s so amazing, I’m so blessed,” Sosa explained. “I got to put it all up to God, He was the whole reason this happened today. I’m thankful; I got work with my catcher, who will also be at UCLA.”

Each year the contest has followed the conclusion of the PGF 18U Premier National Championship directly before it and seen players win a PGF title for their teams and then compete in the all-star game.

Read the recap of the 2018 PGF All-American Game

The list includes such notables as Sis Bates of Firecrackers-Rico (2016, Washington), Lauren Burke with Beverly Bandits (2017, Texas), Skylar Wallace on Georgia Impact-Lewis (2018, Alabama) and, on Saturday, Lexi Sosa (2019, UCLA), Raeleen Gutierrez (2019, LSU), Seneca Curo (2019, UCLA) and Alycia Flores (2019, Oklahoma) of A’s-Mercado/Smith which just hours earlier had won the PGF 18U championship.

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PGF All-American Game History:

• 2019: West 6, East 3
• 2018: West 2, East 1
• 2017: East 7, West 4
• 2016: West 2, East 0

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The PGF All-American teams were chosen by a panel that included Extra Inning Softball.  Some of those chosen as All-Americans were unable to attend due to having played for the USA U-19 Team all-summer. Those players are noted with an asterix (*). Outfielder Jadelyn Allchin was on the U-19 team and did play in the game.

2019 PGF ALL-AMERICANS (EAST)

Added to the game rosters were pitchers Chandler Dennis from Georgia (Michigan), Tatum Goff from Texas (Texas) and infielder Alyssa Popelka from Texas (Texas).

2019 PGF ALL-AMERICANS (WEST)