Softball Game Preview: Helena Bengals vs. Russell Rustlers

The Helena Bengals will face off against the Russell Rustlers at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Helena has five straight wins, Russell has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

Helena's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Saturday. They were the clear victors by a 14-0 margin over Hellgate. Considering the Bengals have won four contests by more than seven runs this season, Saturday's blowout was nothing new.

Faith Howard

Batters Struck Out

04/26/25 vs Hellgate	14
04/22/25 @ Sentinel	9
04/19/25 vs Belgrade	11
04/15/25 @ Capital	11
04/12/25 vs Big Sky	12
+ 6 more games

Faith Howard made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 14 over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in 11 consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.

In other batting news, Helena let Rylee Murgel and Bailey Smith run wild. Murgel went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, two doubles, and two RBI, while Smith went 1-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. That's the most hits Murgel has posted since back in May of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Charlie Smith, who went 1-for-2 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI.

Meanwhile, Russell fell victim to Belgrade and their airtight pitching crew on Saturday. They fell just short of the Panthers by a score of 1-0.

Helena's victory bumped their record up to 10-2. As for Russell, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-9.

Helena took their win against Russell in their previous meeting back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 12-5 score. Will the Bengals repeat their success, or do the Rustlers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.