There was nothing secretive about Jen Schwartz’s big day hitting in Shadle Park’s 5-2 Greater Spokane League softball victory at Mead on Tuesday.

“Better bat,” said Highlanders coach George Lynn.

Switching to an Easton Stealth bat for the first time, Schwartz went 3 for 4 and drove in three of the unbeaten Highlanders’ (5-0) runs as they picked up a game on the Panthers (6-2) in the showdown between two of the league’s top teams.

“He (Lynn) told me to put my ‘Old Blue’ away, because it wasn’t getting the job done,” Schwartz said. “Apparently, it worked for me.”

Schwartz singled in two big runs during Shadle’s decisive fifth inning and tacked on an insurance RBI with a hit in the seventh.

Until the fifth, Shadle was leading by just a run. A close play at the plate set up by Schwartz’s first hit had gone the Highlanders’ way in the fourth inning and led to two runs.

“That play was big in the game,” said Panthers coach John Barrington. “If we get the out, we might get out of the inning with no runs.”

Mead came back with a run in the bottom of the inning on alert baserunning and a wild pitch, but the Highlanders put it away in the fifth.

They parlayed three hits and a walk into three scores, Sam Skillingstad doubling in one followed by Schwartz’s two-run blow.

“I feel like you only get a couple of strikes when you’re out there,” said Swartz. “Pretty much, if I see it I drive it.”

Shadle wound up with nine base hits while Mead managed three against Skillingstad. Two of those were by No. 9 batter Jill Pecka, who doubled. Alex Cey singled home Mead’s other run in the fifth. Skillingstad also issued four free passes, but struck out 14 to minimize potential damage.

“A win’s a win,” said Lynn afterward.

The victory began a run of 10 games for Shadle to be played over the next 10 days.

Barrington was not unhappy with the effort of his Panthers.

“We had to be good on the bases and stop them and I thought we did a great job,” he said. “It was a fun game. It was the best game we’ve played against them in quite a while.”

In other games, University (5-3) scored eight times in the seventh inning of an 11-2 win at East Valley (2-3). Ali Warren hit a pair of two-run homers. She put the Titans up 2-0 with one in the fifth inning and added another two-run blow in the big seventh frame to finish with five RBIs. … North Central (6-1) blanked host Mt. Spokane (4-4) 9-0 and is in second place. Kelsie Vallies pitched a 16-strikeout one-hitter. Porcher Schuller and Cheyenne DeLaRosa each had two hits and an RBI. … Lewis and Clark (1-6) broke a 4-4 tie with 11 runs in the top of the seventh inning for its first win, 15-4 at Rogers (1-7). Kristen Furulie was 2 for 4 with two doubles. Rachel Head added two hits, including a double and drove in two runs. Devan Burney homered for Rogers. … Molly Anderson hit her league-leading fifth home run and Jenn Rambo her fourth in Gonzaga Prep’s (3-4) 19-3 win at home over Ferris (0-7). Each doubled and finished with three RBIs. Six Bullpups had two or more hits.

Baseball

Robert Murphy scored the winner in the top of the seventh when Sean McNaghten was hit by a pitch and Mead (8-1) edged host Lewis and Clark (1-10) 5-4 at Hart Field and remained first in the GSL. Murphy was 3 for 3 and the Tigers’ Sage Poland also had three hits. … Connor McClary hit a first-inning three-run homer and Brian Karwacki was 3 for 3 with a double, two runs and two driven in as host Gonzaga Prep (6-5) topped Mt. Spokane (5-6) 9-1. … Chad Como was 2 for 3 and drove in what proved to be the winning run in host Rogers’ (5-6) 5-2 win at East Valley. Aaron Awberry was 2 for 4 with a triple for the Knights (3-6). … Two scheduled games were postponed by poor weather. University at Shadle Park and Central Valley at North Central are to be made up today.