FREDERICK, Md.--Sophomore Jamie Gardner pitched a three-hit complete game shutout in the opener and junior Jamie Bussey capped a dramatic come-from-behind victory with a walk-off solo homerun in the bottom of the seventh as the Hood College softball team swept the visiting Gallaudet University Bison, 8-0 in five innings and 6-5, in non-conference action at the Hood College Softball Complex.

The Blazers improve to 5-3 at home and 7-11 overall while the Bison drop to 3-11 on the spring.

Ashley Lenhart was 2-for-2 and drove in four of Hood's eight runs in the opener. The rightfielder laced a single through the left side to score Tamara Maggard in the bottom of the second and stroked a bases-clearing double in the bottom of the third. Sara Wastler and Jen Guyer also knocked in runs in the victory.

Gardner surrendered only three hits and struck out five Bison hitters on the afternoon.

The Blazers, who had just one homerun in their first 16 games, used the longball to rally from three runs down in the nightcap. Maggard started the second game and retired nine of the first 10 batters she faced, allowing just one walk through three innings. But the Bison broke through in the top of the fourth when Keri Lin Schmidt singled and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Kallie Williams. Caitlin Mosholder then doubled down the leftfield line to plate Schmidt for Gallaudet's first run of the afternoon.

Gallaudet then erupted for three runs on three basehits in the top of the fourth. Amanda Schahn doubled in two runs and came around to score Gallaudet's fourth run of the game on a passed ball. Gardner relieved Maggard with a runner on and two out and fanned Mosholder to end the threat.

The Blazers got two back in the bottom of the frame on a sacrifice fly by Wastler and an RBI-single by Maggard to cut the deficit in half.

Colleen Caverly led off the top of the sixth with a solo homerun to left to make it 5-2. But the Blazers rallied for three runs in the bottom of the inning on two big blasts when Jess Krietz and Gardner belted back-to-back homeruns over the leftfield fence.

In the top of the seventh, Gardner struck out two Gallaudet hitters and retired Caverly on a grounder to third.

Hood had the top of the order due up in the bottom of the seventh. Wastler grounded out and Maggard popped up for the first two outs of the inning. But Bussey stepped up and cranked a 3-1 pitch over the fence in left-center for the first round-tripper of her Blazer career to give Hood the walk-off victory.

Gardner recorded her seventh pitching victory of the season, tossing 2.1 innings of relief and allowing just one run.

The Blazers have a week to prepare for a pivotal Atlantic Women's Colleges Conference weekend on the road. Hood, currently tied for second place in the league with Wilson at 3-1, travels to Chatham (0-2 AWCC) and Mary Baldwin (4-0 AWCC) for a pair of conference doubleheaders beginning Friday.