Bullock breaks home run record  

Box Score
GREENSBORO, May 12, 2007 – North Carolina A&T used the long ball to eliminate Hampton from the 2007 MEAC Softball Tournament with a 7-3 win at Randazzo Park Saturday morning.

With the win, the Aggies have not eliminated the defending MEAC Champions in Florida A&M and the top-seeded Hampton Pirates. Freshman slugger Jessie Larson hit two two-run homers in the game to lead the Aggies. The MEAC’s league leader in home runs Lillian Bullock also decided to get in on the act as she hit her 16^th home run of the season and her second of the tournament.

Bullock’s home run made her the Aggies all-time leader in home runs as a freshman.

The Aggies improved to 27-29 on the season and will play Morgan State Saturday evening at 5:30. The Pirates end their season at 36-13 after running through the MEAC regular season 14-0 in the conference. The Pirates have been eliminated by the Aggies in the tournament for the past two seasons.

Another feat for the Aggies on Saturday was the defeat MEAC Pitcher of the Year, Hampton’s Amanda Black. Black (22-7) shut out the Aggies on April 13, giving up just three hits and striking out four at the MEAC Roundup.

The Aggies got to her early in the tournament, however. Chaola Simmons opened the bottom of the first with an infield single. Simmons moved to second on a wild pitch, and advanced to third thanks to a sacrifice bunt from Yahamma White. Larson step to the plate and took a 1-1 Black pitch on the outside of the plate over the left-center field fence for a 2-0 lead.

A mistake by Hampton in the third would lead to Larson’s second blast. With two outs, Hampton shortstop Evelyn Garcia allowed a White grounder slip under her glove for a two-base error. Instead of being out of the inning, Black had to face Larson again. Larson drove another Black pitch to left field for a 4-0 Aggies lead. Lillian Bullock led off the fourth with deepest home run of the day, sending Black’s final offering of the season long past the fence for a 5-0 Aggies advantage.

Second-team All-MEAC pitcher Sasha Philpot handled matters from there for the Aggies. At one point in the game, she retired 10 straight batters. With the Aggies leading 7-0, she did run into some trouble in the top of the seventh. She walked Black to open the inning, and with one out, she gave up a two-run homer to Tesara Liggins. She put the Aggies one out away from advancing by getting Brittany Davis to ground out to short. But MEAC Player of the Year, Maggie Wolfe singled to left, followed by a single to left from Jennifer Gonzalez.

Jada Jeffries earned the Pirates third straight single, driving in Wolfe from second. But the Pirates season came to an end when Angela Balser flew out to center field. Philpot pitched seven innings to pick up her 16^th win of the season and her second win of the tournament. If she wins Saturday evening, she will break Latronda Anderson’s record for wins in a season with 17.