Cries of "Come on!" "Way to go!" and "Hustle, hustle, hustle!" fill the evening air as the Dakota Dust-Tex women's team takes the field, the shouts tinged with laughter, followed by good-natured teasing.

Softball has become a sport for women and girls of all ages, and the Dakota Dust-Tex women's slowpitch softball team of Bismarck bats with the best of them. The players run as though chased by the devil himself, and slide into base without a care - out of pure love of the game.

With more than 300 years of combined softball experience, these gutsy women have won and placed in many tournaments, including first place at state in 2000. They repeatedly put on a show during the annual McQuade Charity Softball Tournament, placing second in their division in 1998, 2004 and 2005, and winning in 1996.

And with the Old Pro 35 Tournament this weekend in Bismarck, Cheryl Jones, team manager and co-owner of Dakota Dust-Tex, Inc., said the team is ready for some tough but fun competition.

"This year, the old pro tournament allows only women 30 years or older to play. The 'babies' on our team are Darcie (Hanson) and Michele (Paul), who are each 38 years old. We are probably the only team in Bismarck who can play the old pro tournaments without needing to pick up 'older' players."

Laughing, Jones said some players wish Bismarck had an old pro league so they could play weekly, rather than just at tournaments.

"It's tough to play some of these younger girls in their twenties," she said. "They run faster, slide harder and mend easier from injuries."

On the flip side, left-fielder Rose Kreitinger said there just aren't enough players. But more women might come out of retirement and play if an old pro league was formed, she said.

Jests about age echo repeatedly, often revolving around the metal glove rack built by Karen "Bookie" Kottre, scorekeeper and historian, which sports a name above each hook for each player's glove.

Kreitinger delivers "heavy on the pro, please," with a grin.

With Dust-Tex's record and classification - Class D, with Class C being the highest women's division in Bismarck - age clearly doesn't hold the players back.

Besides, softball is about more than winning for these women - it's about friendship. Close friends, linked by bats and balls, sharing struggles and triumphs, sadness and joy.

Bickering and criticizing doesn't happen because, as Jones said, winning is just a bonus.

"The team started as a girls' night out. We needed time away from work, family and other responsibilities. It's time to forget the bad things, vent about problems and focus on fun and laughter," Jones said.

The camaraderie among the teammates makes even the casual observer smile at the easy laughter, sharing of jokes and selfless support given on and off the field.

Recently, the team shared excitement and joy when Nancy "Doc" Dockter adopted her first child.

"We all got together and met Doc and her new baby at the airport when they flew in from Guatemala. We were so happy for Doc. She'd waited a long time for this moment," Jane Nelson said.

And seeing her team there, waiting at the airport when she stepped off the plane, new son in her arms, touched Doc's heart.

"It had been a long road, and it meant so much to see my friends there to meet us," she said.

Get-togethers off the field happen regularly, and time spent at graduations, weddings, picnics and, of course, having a cold beer after a hard game are never wasted moments.

Even when times get rough, and life doesn't seem fair, they are there for each other.

"I'm not able to play this year for personal reasons, and everyone is so supportive, making me feel like an integral part of the team even when I'm not on the field," Jones said.

The long arm of war touched the team when full-time National Guard member Laurie Zacher was called to go to Iraq with her unit, the 957th.

Her spot on the team firm, Zacher returned home in April of 2004. Jones said the team welcomed Zacher home with a solid message that the first practice was Thursday, and she better not be late.

"She'd been gone a year and we missed her. She just happened to return the week of the first practice, so we had to tease her," Jones said.

Zacher flew into Bismarck, and the National Guard transported her unit to the Armory via bus.

"We pulled into the Armory parking lot and people lined the streets," Zacher said. "There, out the bus windows, were my friends - holding a sign that read 'Practice, next Thursday, 7:30.' It meant so much to see them right when we got home."