Softball Game Preview: Great Falls Bison vs. Russell Rustlers

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Previous Games

05/08/26 - Home	9-8 W
05/06/25 - Home	8-9 L
04/24/25 - Away	7-5 W
05/14/24 - Away	6-9 L
04/23/24 - Home	10-6 W
+ 5 more games

Great Falls and Russell are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2022, but likely not for long. The Bison will face off against the Rustlers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Great Falls has given up an average of 12.4 runs per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Great Falls is headed into Friday's matchup looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their fourth straight games on Tuesday. They came up short against Flathead, falling 19-3.

Nina Newmack was cooking despite her team's loss, going 1-for-4 with one home run and two RBI.

Meanwhile, Russell faced Glacier in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Tuesday. The Rustlers fell 8-3 to the Wolfpack. The Rustlers have struggled against the Wolfpack recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost matchup.

Kieva Mapes made the most of her time in the batter's box despite the final result and went a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI.

Russell's defeat dropped their record down to 12-7. As for Great Falls, their loss dropped their record down to 4-15.

Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Great Falls 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 Russell struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.7 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.

Great Falls skirted past Russell 9-8 in their previous meeting on Friday. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bison since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.