The Wood River Wolverines will challenge the Burley Bobcats at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Wood River knows how to get runs on the board -- the team has finished with ten runs or more in their past seven matches -- so hopefully Burley likes a good challenge.
Wood River came out on top against Minico on Thursday thanks in part to the team's impressive six-run first inning. The Wolverines never let the Spartans get on the board and left with an 11-0 victory. The Wolverines haven't had any issues with the Spartans recently, as the game was their ninth consecutive win against them.
Paityn Nelson
| 05/01/25 vs Minico | 9 |
| 03/20/25 @ Blackfoot | 7 |
| 04/23/24 vs Jerome | 7 |
| 04/02/24 vs Burley | 7 |
| 03/15/25 vs Middleton | 6 |
Paityn Nelson made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out nine over six innings pitched. Those nine strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also stellar in the batter's box, firing off two home runs and three RBI while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Emmalese Nilsen, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and one double. Marlee McLean was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Wood River kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in 15 consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Burley came tearing into Saturday's contest with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.6 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 7-6 W against the Tigers. That's two games straight that the Bobcats have won by just one run.
Burley let Katelyn Hege and Marhi Robins run wild. Hege went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI, while Robins went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI.
Burley's victory was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-8. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.3 runs over those games. As for Wood River, they now have a winning record of 13-12.
Monday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Wood River hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .406. However, it's not like Burley struggles in that department as they've averaged .393. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Wood River couldn't quite get it done against Burley in their previous matchup back in April as they fell 15-12. Can the Wolverines avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
