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.”
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