Bartlett 7, Lake Park 4

Bartlett softball coach Jim Wolfsmith stresses to his players an offensive philosophy he calls "two-out bingo."

With two outs in any inning, Wolfsmith looks for the Hawks to make solid contact and just put the ball in play, giving Bartlett even the smallest possible chance to make something happen.

Wednesday afternoon in Roselle, the Hawks played "two-out bingo" in a big way, downing Lake Park 7-4 to keep their Upstate Eight Conference record unblemished.

Bartlett (15-5, 11-0) didn't wait long to attack Lake Park starter Missy Mazur. With two outs in the top of the second, catcher Elizabeth Kay launched a 3-run homer over the left-field fence to give the Hawks an early cushion.

Center fielder Concetta Lampugnano followed Kay's example in the top of the fifth, driving a two-out Mazur offering to left field for a 2-run double to give the Hawks a 5-1 lead.

"What we did today is we got some big two-out hits. We call them 'two-out bingo,' " Wolfsmith said. "Timing is everything, and we hit well in the proper time.

"All season long, we've hit the ball well. We're pretty good up and down the lineup, and it's been something -- with the exception of our Ohio trip -- where we've had the hitting when we've needed it."

Though her home run cleared the fence by much more than a few feet, Kay didn't feel she got enough of the ball to warrant an easy jog.

"I didn't think it was going to be gone. I got a little too much under it for my liking, but I was hoping (it was gone)," Kay said.

Wednesday's win vaults the Hawks to 1.5 games ahead of Lake Park (14-4, 10-2) in the Upstate Eight Conference standings, with Bartlett now having won both of the head-to-head matchups this year.

"I'm glad we got past the two Lake Park games, because those were the biggest games probably for us," Kay said. "Now we've got to stay strong and not let up."

Lake Park coach Cray Allen felt the Lancers' youth gained some valuable knowledge Wednesday despite the loss. The home team rallied in the bottom of the sixth to load the bases with one out, scoring 2 runs and applying pressure to Hawks pitcher Lauren Wydra.

"We took a big step today from our young girls competing. Some of the sophomores and young girls don't know how good they are, and I think they've kind of been scared to let it show," Allen said. "I think today they started to see that … it's their turn."