Softball Preview: Capital Bruins vs. Helena Bengals
Capital is 9-1 against Helena since April of 2019, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Capital Bruins will look to defend their home field against the Helena Bengals at 3:00 p.m. Capital will be looking to keep their five-game home win streak dating back to last season alive.
Capital is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Montana's top teams: Sentinel, who was ranked eighth in their home state at the time (Capital was ranked fifth). Capital blew past Sentinel 13-3. Considering Capital has won six matches by more than nine runs this season, Saturday's blowout was nothing new.
Kathryn Emmert was a major factor no matter where she played. She struck out ten batters over five innings while giving up three earned runs off four hits. Emmert has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in four consecutive pitching appearances. Emmert was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI.
In other batting news, Anna Cockhill was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. Cockhill is crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: she's stolen at least one every time she's taken the field this season. Another player making a difference was Kate Drynan, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI, a triple, and a run.
Meanwhile, it was a hard-fought matchup, but Helena had to settle for an 8-6 loss against Big Sky on Saturday.
Like Capital, Helena also got a great game from a two-way player: Faith Howard. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 13 batters over seven innings while giving up seven earned (and one unearned) runs off 11 hits (and only one walk). Howard was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI.
In other batting news, Kylee Gardipee made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored a run while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. Katryn Seliskar was another key contributor, going 1-for-3 with a home run.
Even though they lost, Helena didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with 13 strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Big Sky only tossed eight.
Capital's win bumped their record up to 8-2. As for Helena, they have been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five games, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-6 record this season.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Capital hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 1.3 home runs per game. However, it's not like Helena struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.8. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Capital took their victory against Helena in their previous meeting back in May of 2023 by a conclusive 12-0. Will Capital repeat their success, or does Helena have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
