Softball Preview: Helena Bengals vs. Capital Bruins
Helena has enjoyed a four-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will face off against the Capital Bruins at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday. Helena is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 6.2 runs per game this season.
Helena is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Montana's top teams: Big Sky, who was ranked first in their home state at the time (Helena was ranked 14th). Helena fell just short of Big Sky by a score of 8-6 on Saturday.
Faith Howard put in work while hitting and pitching. 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 has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts every time she's pitched this season. 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. Another player making a difference was Katryn Seliskar, who went 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.
Meanwhile, Capital put the finishing touches on their sixth blowout victory of the season on Saturday. They were the clear victor by a 13-3 margin over Sentinel. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for Capital considering their one-run performance the game before.
Like Helena, Capital also got a great game from a two-way player: Kathryn Emmert. On the mound, she struck out ten batters over five innings while giving up three earned runs off four hits. Emmert was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Anna Cockhill, who scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. Kate Drynan was another key contributor, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, a triple, and a run.
Helena has traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-6 record this season. As for Capital, their victory was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 8-2.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Helena hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.8 home runs per game. However, it's not like Capital struggles in that department as they've been averaging 1.3. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Helena suffered a grim 12-0 defeat to Capital when the teams last played back in May of 2023. Can Helena avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
