Senior pitcher Christie Hamilton dominated from the start to the very finish on Wednesday night, helping No. 7 Georgia softball defeat Mercer 3-1 in a well-fought contest at the Georgia Softball Complex.

Hamilton (9-3) pitched a complete game against the Bears (23-10), allowing only one earned run while striking out a season-high 10 batters.

“We did a great job fighting tonight,” head coach Lu Harris-Champer said. “Mercer is a very good team and they are very well-coached.”

Georgia’s (21-4) offense was once again delivered by third baseman Alisa Goler, the Bulldogs’ leader in home runs and RBIs this season. Goler went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs, and came only a triple short of hitting for the cycle. Goler’s home run was her 12th of the season – putting her four behind the single-season home run record of 16 set by Megan McAllister. Georgia took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Goler sent an RBI double into left-center. She followed up in the third inning with her solo blast to make the game 2-0. Mercer made things interesting in the top of the seventh and final inning, when right fielder Jena Ellis hit an RBI double for Mercer’s only run, cutting Georgia’s lead to 3-1. But with two runners on-base, Hamilton would snag a line drive back for the final out of the game.