Helena High softball routs Missoula Hellgate for second straight win

Helena High has won 10 straight games against Missoula Hellgate, and the Bengals followed an 11-1 win in Missoula with another runaway Wednesday at Mihelish Fields in Helena. The two-day home stand gave Helena back-to-back victories for the first time in this stretch of the season.

The momentum has been building fast. Helena came into the Hellgate game fresh off a 9-8 win over crosstown rival Capital on May 5, then returned to Mihelish Fields the next day and kept control of the rivalry series that has tilted heavily toward the Bengals since May 2021. That kind of run matters in Lewis and Clark County, where Helena softball has been searching for a steadier identity and Wednesday’s result suggested the group is finding one.

The earlier meeting with Hellgate on April 28 showed why. Helena won 11-1 in Missoula, with Kira Thomas throwing all six innings and allowing one earned run on eight hits while striking out nine. Bailey Smith went 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI and two runs, and Grace Dobler added a 2-for-4 night with three RBI and a double. That combination of pitching and timely contact has become the clearest sign that Helena can stretch out games instead of letting them stay close.

Hellgate, meanwhile, entered the April 28 game at 0-9 and remained winless in conference play. The Knights have struggled to keep pace with Helena’s offense and depth, and the latest meeting only widened the gap. Helena’s sweep of the two-game sequence against Hellgate came during a busy stretch at home, with the Bengals using consecutive games at Mihelish Fields to sharpen their rhythm.

For Helena, the bigger story is not just one lopsided win. It is the timing. A tight 9-8 victory over Capital, followed by a dominant result against Hellgate, gave the Bengals something they had not had earlier in the season: two straight wins and a chance to build on them. With Thomas, Smith and Dobler already anchoring the lineup in the April 28 win, Helena has started to show a formula that travels well, even if Wednesday’s game stayed close to home.