Stacey Nelson stood in the circle one pitch away from the Wome's College World Series as more than 2,000 screaming fans rose to their feet.
Then, with one swing of her arm Nelson sent the fans into an uproar and a flood of teammates onto the field.
Ali Gardiner gave coach Tim Walton a bath of bright orange Gatorade while her teammates danced along with Nelson in the center of the field.
It took nine innings, but the Gators (67-3) knocked off the Golden Bears (43-27) 4-2 in the NCAA Super Regional, sweeping the best-of-three series 2-0. UF won the first game of the best-of-three series Friday 4-2.
The second game, the Gators' 67th win of the year, ties the NCAA Division 1 record for victories in a season.
"What a great day," Walton said. "What a great day for all these young ladies. I can't be any more proud of this group right now."
After entering the top of the ninth tied 2-2, the Gators got their biggest hit of the post season from someone that hadn't seen much success yet.
Freshman shortstop Megan Bush, who had gone 0-3 in the series, blasted the game-winning home run over the right field wall.
It was the 13th homer of the season for Bush.
"A little bit of weight was lifted off my shoulders," Bush said. "I have been in a slump the last couple of games, and the only way that I know how to get out of it is to keep going up there and trying my best. It was just a great way to end the series."
Nelson had a feeling that something big was about to happen when Bush stepped up to the plate.
"I didn't want to jinx it, but I was thinking that 'You know this girl is Megan's kind of pitcher,'" Nelson said. "I just had it in my head that she was going to knock it somewhere."
Francesca Enea was standing in the dugout with Nelson during the at-bat.
"I did this cheer that we only do on special occasions, but I just did it real quietly to Stacey," Enea said. "Then I was like 'she's going to get a hit because I did the cheer', and she did."
The Gators would go on to add another run in the inning when Aja Paculba knocked in sophomore Corrie Brooks to put the Gators up 4-2.
"That was huge for us," Walton said. "We talked before the game about the bottom of our lineup having to come through for us. Megan hits the shot and then Corrie Brooks adds a hit later that helps us to get an important insurance run."
Nelson would force the first two Cal batters to ground out in the bottom of the ninth before striking out Vickers to send the Gators to Oklahoma City and the first Women's College World Series appearance in school history.
Nelson was solid all day for the Gators, striking out nine batters in nine innings of work and giving up no earned runs.
"Stacey Nelson pitched amazing," Cal third basemen Katie Vickers said. "She was able to hold us to just two runs."
For UF, defeating a program like California signals their arrival on a national level.
The Bears have been to 23 consecutive NCAA regionals and won a national championship in 2002.
Before the series Walton said that California was the type of program that UF aspired to be.
Now it's the Bears who are wishing they could switch places with the Gators.
"Our goal was to get to the College World Series, so now we're going to have to readjust our goals a little bit," Walton said. "There are eight outstanding teams left. Anyone can win it."
