Jiana Bowie was mowing down opposing batters from the circle, so it was doubtful the Notre Dame-Belmont pitcher needed any insurance runs Tuesday afternoon. Just in case, Bowie ripped a three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth, part of a six-run outburst that helped the Tigers cruised to a 9-0 home victory over Presentation-San Jose in the opening round of the West Catholic Athletic League softball playoffs.
“She stepped real big today,” Notre Dame coach Carly Leary said. “That really helped to break it open for us.”
The No. 3 Tigers (16-11-1) play a semifinal today at Valley Christian-San Jose, the top seed which enjoyed a bye in the first round.
“We’re going to have come on our game tomorrow,” Leary said.
Notre Dame once again relied on Izzy Geronimo at the plate. The junior co-captain went 2 for 4 with a triple and reached on an error on her first plate appearance.
“She always seems to find her way onto the bases,” Leary sadi. “And then she’s just a huge threat with her speed. She just really has great intuition.”
Teammate Beth Holden also went 2-for-4 and finished with a pair of RBIs.
“We can always seem to count on her on those big moments when she needs a big hit,” Leary said.
The Tigers finished with 10 hits while Bowie tossed a 2-hitter in which she walked one and struck out 11.
— Vytas Mazeika
