FREDERICK, Md.--The Hood College softball team dropped a Senior Day twinbill Sunday afternoon to the visiting Juniata College Eagles, falling 6-1 in the opener and 6-4 in the nightcap.

Hood moves to 11-17 on the season while the Eagles up their record to 13-15.

Juniata scored two quick runs in the top of the first on a passed ball and an RBI-groundout. But the Blazers got one back in the bottom of the frame when Tamara Maggard, who led off the inning with a walk, scored on a passed ball. Maggard was one of two seniors honored before the doubleheader (Chrissy Harvey was the other).

Juniata had a runner in scoring position in each of the next three straight innings but failed to plate another run until the top of the sixth. The Eagles used three doubles to push across three runs and take a 5-1 lead.

Maggard led off the sixth with a bunt single but failed to advance past first as Chrissy Harvey struck out and Sara Wastler and Kara Robert were retired on fly balls.

Juniata tacked on another run in the top of the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Jackie Morley. The Blazers went quietly in the bottom of the seventh, as Hood was unable to get the ball out of the infield.

Jamie Gardner took the loss, allowing six runs, three earned, on nine basehits with five strikeouts and four walks. Hood managed just three basehits in the ballgame, one apiece by Maggard, Wastler and Katherine Law.

In the nightcap, the Eagles once again plated a run in the first inning on a passed ball. But with two out and runners at the corners, Maggard, the starting pitcher for game two, struck out Alyssa Erb to end the threat.

After a scoreless second, the Blazers knocked around starter Pam Mansell for four hits and four runs in the third. Maggard and Kara Robert each had two-run doubles in the inning to give the Blazers a 4-1 advantage. Before Mansell could record an out in the fourth, she was lifted for Erb who retired the final three batters of the inning.

Juniata cut the deficit in half in the top of the fourth inning. Liz Schmitt was hit by a pitch and Stacy Nagy doubled to left-center to put runners at second and third with nobody out. After Maggard retired Erb on strikes for the second straight at-bat, Morley hit a sharp ground ball to short which was fielded by Wastler. She threw home to try and nail Schmitt but catcher Jess Krietz was unable to hang on to the ball after a collision at the plate. The next batter was Ashley Van Ommeren who hit a ground ball to second baseman Jen Guyer. Guyer fired a strike to Krietz who tagged Nagy for the second out of the inning. Maggard then got Amanda Albanese to lineout to Wastler to retire the side.

Erb sat down the next nine straight Blazer hitters over the next three innings. Meanwhile, Rachel Nagy connected on a two-out solo homerun in the top of the fifth to make it 4-3 Hood. Then in the top of the seventh, the Eagles put together a rally which was capped by another big blast from Nagy. With one out and runners at first and second, she clubbed a three-run homer, her second dinger in as many at-bats, over the fence in right-center to put the Eagles back on top, 6-4.

Jen Willison led off the bottom of the seventh with a basehit through the right side. After Ashley Lenhart struck out, lead-off hitter Wastler also poked a single through the right side to bring the potential tying run to the plate in Maggard. But she was retired on a pop-up to short and Jamie Bussey was retired on strikes to end the threat for Hood.

Maggard went the distance in defeat and allowed six runs, four earned, on seven hits with three strikeouts and three walks. Erb tossed five scoreless innings of relief and fanned eight Blazers along the way.

The Blazers' final tune-up before the Atlantic Women's Colleges Conference championship is slated for Tuesday at Frostburg State University. The AWCC tournament gets underway May 5-6 from Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pa.