CHAMBERSBURG, Pa.--Sophomore Jamie Gardner turned in another brilliant pitching performance, striking out eight hitters over seven innings, to lead the Hood College softball team to a narrow 2-1 victory over Wilson College in the championship game of the Atlantic Women's Colleges Conference tournament Sunday.

Hood (14-19) won the conference tournament title for the second straight year and earns the league's automatic berth to the NCAA tournament which begins Thursday, May 10.

Wilson struck first in the top of the third when Jennifer Liggett blooped a basehit just passed the outstretched glove of Sara Wastler and into leftfield. Liggett promptly broke for second base and Jess Krietz's throw down got passed the Blazer middle infielders and trickled into centerfield, allowing Liggett to scamper to third. Rachel Cline then singled to bring around Liggett for the first run scored on Gardner the entire tournament. But Gardner limited the damage to a single run when she fanned Amber Shelly for the final out of the inning.

In the bottom of the fourth, despite gusty winds blowing in from centerfield, senior Chrissy Harvey tied the game at 1-1 with one swing as she launched a solo homerun over the leftfield fence to draw the Blazers even. Krietz then drew a walk and after Maggard popped out to the catcher, Jen Guyer singled and Krietz scampered to third to put runners on the corners with one away. Ashley Lenhart struck out but on the delivery from Cheryl Taylor, Guyer broke for second and Krietz came in to score on a throwing error by the firstbaseman to give the Blazers a 2-1 lead.

Hood was unable to push across any insurance runs in the fifth and sixth innings and the two teams went to the top of the seventh with the Blazers clinging to a slim 2-1 lead. Marney Niland led off the inning with a bloop single that just barely kicked up chalk down the leftfield line. Then Amanda Harrity lined a soft line drive to short which was caught in the air by a diving Wastler, who alertly gathered herself and fired a strike to Harvey at first to double up Niland for the second out of the inning. Wilson's last hope was pinch hitter Jessica Benard who was hitting .429 on the season. But Benard popped up to the second baseman Guyer, who squeezed the fly ball for the final out to clinch the championship for the Blazers.

Gardner, who earned complete game victories in all three tournament contests, surrendered just three basehits on the day and picked up her 13th win of the season. Junior Jamie Bussey was 2-for-2 with a sacrifice as the Blazers managed just six hits in the ballgame.

Pairings and dates for the 2007 NCAA Division III Softball Tournament will be announced Sunday evening at midnight on www.ncaasports.com.