Helena is 9-1 against Butte since April of 2021 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Tuesday. The Bengals will be playing in front of their home fans against the Bulldogs at 3:00 p.m. Helena is coming into the game hot, having won their last nine games.
Helena's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Saturday. They blew past Flathead 10-0. The result was nothing new for the Bengals, who have now won five contests by eight runs or more so far this season.
Faith Howard
| 05/03/25 vs Flathead | 15 |
| 05/03/25 vs Glacier | 17 |
| 04/29/25 vs Russell | 13 |
| 04/26/25 vs Hellgate | 14 |
| 04/22/25 @ Sentinel | 9 |
| + 9 more games |
Not much got past Faith Howard, who gave up just a hit and racked up 15 Ks to keep Flathead off the board. Howard has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in 14 consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Keira Campbell was a standout: she went 1-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI. That triple was her first of the season. Rylee Murgel was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Butte, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Thursday. Everything went their way against Hellgate on Saturday as they made off with an 11-4 victory.
Ashlinn Mullaney made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off six hits. Mullaney was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two runs, two doubles, and one stolen base. Those two doubles gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Butte let Allie Becker and Kendallyn Schad run wild. Becker went 2-for-3 with three RBI, two doubles, and one run, while Schad got on base in three of her four plate appearances with three runs, one double, and one RBI. That's the most hits Becker has posted since back in April. The team also got some help courtesy of Gracie Jonart, who went 1-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.
Helena pushed their record up to 14-2 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.3 runs on average over those games. As for Butte, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a nice bump to their 6-11 record this season.
Tuesday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Helena hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .322. However, it's not like Butte struggles in that department as they've averaged .323. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Helena came out on top in a nail-biter against Butte when the teams last played back in April, sneaking past 7-6. Do the Bengals have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Bulldogs turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
