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OKLAHOMA CITY — When Tennessee catcher Rylie West hit a blast to left field Thursday to give the Vols a 10-2 fourth-inning lead over Alabama, the stadium erupted. But a bigger party started in the dugout.
West was greeted at home plate for the traditional celebration of high-fives. Then, she was outfitted with a baseball cap that says “Mommy” on it, grabbed a baseball bat and swaggered through the dugout, using a bat as a cane as she was showered with prop money.
It was West’s fifth homer of the year, and thus her fifth time to walk the gauntlet. But her teammate Kiki Milloy, who has done it 25 times this year, said the celebration is pretty self-explanatory.
“Whenever you pimp a home run, you get to have the big pimping stick and walk through the dugout,” she said. “It’s just great seeing all of your teammates celebrating you. When someone who doesn’t maybe hit as many home runs or hits a home run during a big moment, being able to celebrate with your teammates and throw the cash on them is awesome.”
Baseball can have its debates about unwritten rules. At the Women’s College World Series, everything is celebrated, from a sacrifice fly to a stolen base to a walk. Or a homer, with dollar bills cascading all around the dugout.
“The money is not real,” West said. “I wish it was. But it has all our faces on it, so it’s pretty cool. And it gives you power because you get to see everyone’s faces flying when someone hits a home run.”
It’s not just a Tennessee thing. It’s a softball thing. There are cheers, chants and dances on seemingly every pitch. No one is above it.
“We honestly just yell like maniacs,”…
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