The Helena Bengals will venture away from home to take on the Big Sky Eagles at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Helena will be looking to extend their current ten-game winning streak.
Big Sky's hitters are going to have their work cut out for them on Thursday: Helena hadn't allowed a single run the last three times they've hit the field. The Bengals' pitcher stepped up to hand Butte a 4-0 shutout on Tuesday.
Faith Howard
| 05/06/25 vs Butte | 13 |
| 05/03/25 vs Flathead | 15 |
| 05/03/25 vs Glacier | 17 |
| 04/29/25 vs Russell | 13 |
| 04/26/25 vs Hellgate | 14 |
| + 10 more games |
The result came thanks to Faith Howard's shutout, as she gave up just a hit and racked up 13 Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in 15 consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Helena saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Rylee Murgel, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one run.
Meanwhile, Big Sky got the win against Capital on Tuesday by a conclusive 16-4. The Eagles might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight matchups by seven runs or more this season.
Sadie McGuinn was a standout: she went 3-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. Hayden Weaver was another key player, going 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI.
Big Sky lost a few balls and finished the game with four home runs. That's the most home runs they've posted since back in May of 2024.
Helena pushed their record up to 15-2 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.6 runs over those games. As for Big Sky, they have been performing well recently as they've won nine of their last 11 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 13-3 record this season.
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 0.6 home runs per game. However, it's not like Big Sky struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 1.4 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Helena came up short against Big Sky when the teams last played back in April, falling 4-1. Can the Bengals avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
