Rustlers
| 04/24/25 vs Great Falls | 5 |
| 04/22/25 vs Gallatin | 2 |
| 04/19/25 @ Sentinel | 15 |
| 04/19/25 vs Capital | 12 |
| 04/15/25 @ Gallatin | 2 |
| + 6 more games |
Russell and Belgrade are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2021, but likely not for long. The Rustlers will head out on the road to square off against the Panthers at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Russell is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.2 runs per game this season.
Russell came into this matchup off a tough 11-run defeat on Tuesday. This time they kept things ultra-competitive, but unfortunately the final result was the same. They fell just short of Great Falls by a score of 7-5 on Thursday. Rustlers fans who chose to attend the game sure picked the wrong one: it was the first time the team's lost against the Bison since on Thursday.
Hailey Marr made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-3 with one home run and four RBI. That home run marked the first that she has launched this season. Aspyn Zuelke was another key player, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one stolen base and one double.
Meanwhile, Belgrade faced Skyview in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Thursday. The Panthers came out on top in a nail-biter against the Falcons, sneaking past 3-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Panthers have posted since May 13, 2024.
Olivia Mills made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out 15 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits (and only one walk). Those 15 strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI.
Mills wasn't the only one making solid contact as two players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Rylee Feight, who got on base in all three of her plate appearances with one run.
Belgrade hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their strikeout total in three consecutive contests.
Belgrade's record now sits at 9-4-1. As for Russell, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 3-8.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Saturday. Russell hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.6 home runs per game. However, it's not like Belgrade struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.6 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Russell suffered a grim 14-0 defeat to Belgrade when the teams last played on April 10th. Can the Rustlers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
