The Loop
Auburn baseball team scores 13 runs in the top of the first inning (!!), then throws well-earned dance party
Please, no one show what you are about to see to Madison Bumgarner. His heart couldn't take it.
On Monday, with a trip to the College World Series on the line, the Auburn Tigers faced the North Carolina Tar Heels in Game 3 of the Chapel Hill Super Regional. The Tar Heels were looking to make their second straight CWS with a victory, and what would have been their eighth since 2006. As for the Tigers, they were hoping to snap a 22-year drought, their last CWS appearance coming in 1997.
Before the Tar Heels could even reach the plate, they trailed by almost two full touchdowns, as Auburn came out swinging, literally. The Tigers scored 13 runs in the top of the first inning to essentially put the game out of reach before it even started:
You should never fully celebrate until the game is finally decided, but sometimes, exceptions can be made. Scoring 13 runs in the top of the first is one of those times, and the Tigers celebrated accordingly—with an epic dance party the likes of which are only scene at D'Jais in Belmar, N.J. on Memorial Day Weekend:
Well deserved, in our opinion. This looks like it's directed right at the Tar Heel dugout, which surprisingly did not result in any retaliation. Tough to retaliate when you're down a 13 spot, some would say.
North Carolina did its best to make the score respectable, cutting the lead to 14-7 and getting runners on second and third with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. What appeared to be a two-run single to make things semi-interesting was nabbed by the first baseman and another celebration was on for Auburn:
What's really special about this CWS berth is that this Auburn team has been through hell in the last two seasons. This time last year, Auburn was knocked out by Florida in the most heartbreaking way imaginable with a trip to the CWS on the line:
Then there was the SEC Tournament last month, when Auburn quite literally threw away its elimination game against LSU:
On Monday, Auburn finally exorcised all its demons in the form of a 13-run first inning. The Tigers have been waiting for that dance party for a very long time.