Veney earns her first career grand slam

Box Score vs. Howard
Box Score vs. Florida A&M

SEVERN, Md., May 11, 2007 – North Carolina A&T senior catcher Tabitha was mad and she wasn’t going to take it anymore. In the fourth inning of the Aggies elimination game against Florida A&M in the 2007 MEAC Softball Tournament at Randazzo Park on Friday, Rattlers starter walked first-team All-MEAC slugger Lillian Bullock intentionally to pitch to Veney.

The Rattler strategy worked that time as Veney grounded out to shortstop to end the Aggies threat. Florida A&M tried the same thing again in the sixth as Rattlers starter Destiny Gordon walked Bullock intentionally to load the bases. This time Veney made a disaster of the Rattlers strategy with a grand slam homer to deep center field that helped the Aggies eliminate the defending MEAC Champions, 12-10.

The Aggies lost their opening game 8-1 to Howard. With Friday’s split, the Aggies are 26-29 on the season, and will play Hampton in another elimination game Saturday morning at 9. The Rattlers season came to an end at 16-45.

The Rattlers had taken big steps toward keeping their season going in the fifth. With the game tied at 7, Joyce Harold led the inning off by being walked by Aggies pitcher Sasha Philpot. Alesha Wells’ sacrifice bunt moved Harold into scoring position. Shali Taylor would add another Rattler base runner as she reached on an error. Rhiann Green then hit a grounder to Aggies shortstop Yahamma White. White made a bluff toward throwing home, freezing Herald between third and home.

Harold eventually decided to go home, where she was gunned down by White. With two runners still on, however, Al Strafford stepped to the plate and belted a deep home run to center field to give the Rattlers a 10-7 lead. It was Strafford’s second home run of the day as she finished the game 3-for-4 with five RBI, two home runs and two runs scored.

With the Aggies season now on the line thanks to the strong play of Strafford, White started off the home half of the sixth with an infield single. Larson followed with a double to the left-field corner, putting runners on third and second for Tangala Conover. Conover singled to center, scoring White to pull the Aggies to within two, 10-8.

Bullock, who leads the conference in home runs, came to the plate with first base open. Bullock had homered in the third and had four RBI in the game. With no one out, the Rattlers thought it was wise to walk Bullock intentionally again.

“I didn’t like it when they did it before,’’ Veney said. “I decided to let all my built-up frustration and anger out on the ball. I wasn’t trying to hit a home run, I was just trying to get a hit. But she threw me a fastball on the outside part of the plate and it was flat, so I decided to drive it.”

She drove it well enough to earn her first career grand slam and her first hit this season with the bases loaded. Veney, who has all eight of her career home runs this season, was 2-for-4 with five RBI on Friday.

There was no room to breath easy for the Aggies as Philpot ran into trouble in the seventh. She walked Harold to open the inning. Alesha Walls hit into a fielder’s choice, forcing Harold out at second. Philpot then struck out Green to put the Aggies one out away from advancing. With Strafford coming to the plate, the Aggies decided to intentionally walk her, putting runners on first and second.

Philpot would get Nakend Jones to fly out to deep right field to end the game. Philpot improved to 15-10 on the season. Bullock was 2-for-4 with three runs scored and four RBI. The Aggies other first-team All-MEAC performer, Yahamma White, was 3-for-4 with two runs scored.