That offered Nelson more than enough cushion.

The sophomore commanded the game from the circle, giving up one run on five hits without walking a batter over seven innings. Backed by a clean game in the field, the staff ace earned the complete-game win.

Nelson helped her cause at the plate, too, going 3-4 with three doubles to add to her team-leading 20 doubles on the year. Hadley Elsbree also logged a multi-hit game for the Wolverines.

The 9-1 decision ends Canyon Ridge’s season and puts Wood River two games away from the conference’s second berth in the state tournament. They’ll go on the road Thursday for another win-or-go-home game at No. 3 Burley, which lost to No. 2 Jerome in the district semifinal to drop into the second-chance bracket. First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 p.m., which is after press time for the May 12 print edition of the Idaho Mountain Express.

The Bobcats swept the Wolverines in the season series, an April 18 doubleheader in Burley, 14-13 and 14-3. That game came in the midst of a massive road trip for Wood River; a snowy spring forced the team to play its first 18 games away from Hailey.

The winner of that game moves on in the double-elimination tournament. They’ll stay on the road Friday to face the loser of Jerome and top-seed Twin Falls, who play after press time Thursday in Twin for the conference title—and the district’s first state bid.

“Every game we play is going to need a tough, gritty, team effort,” Coach Matt Nelson said. “We need to win each pitch and compete till the last pitch. The team wins through each individual’s successes. This team has fought together through weather, injuries and playing on the road all year. They are resilient and ready.

“No matter what happens over the two days I will always be proud of this group of young women. They are the definition of Mountain Tough!”