They rushed out of the third-base dugout, raced across the field and finally reached their target near first base.
There, they surrounded Taylor Van Zee, bouncing and screaming and hugging around the infield, a celebration for the Washington Huskies nearly 3½ hours in the making.
And it was a celebration befitting a dramatic 3-2 come-from-behind victory for the Washington softball team in nine innings Friday night in Game 1 of its Super Regional against Alabama.
The No. 5-seed Huskies (48-8) trailed most of the night, producing little offensively against Alabama ace Alexis Osorio.