ATLANTA, Ga. – The Mercer softball team dropped its regular-season finale, 4-1, to No. 19 Georgia Tech Monday afternoon at Glenn Field.

The Yellow Jackets (50-13) took the early lead, putting up a run in the second inning. Caitlin Lever led off with a single to right field and stole second to give Georgia Tech a runner in scoring position. Brittany Barnes followed Lever at the plate and reached base when Mercer third baseman Stacey Condra fumbled the ball and was unable to make the play. The Bears committed another error in the next at-bat to allow Kristina Hull to get on base and load the bases. Blair Shimandle’s RBI-ground out plated Lever and gave the Jackets the 1-0 advantage.

Georgia Tech added two runs to its lead in the fifth. Jennifer Yee got on base on a one-out double to left center field. Savannah Brown followed two batters later with a home run to left field to put the Jackets up by three. The Jackets increased their lead in the sixth with a solo-shot to right field by Daisy Paez.

The Bears (14-44) were scoreless until their final at-bat when Jamie Madruga led off the inning and belted her 15th home run of the season. Laura Persons drew a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch by Lacey Richardson. Three batters later, Crystal Condra knocked a single to right field to give the Bears runners on the corners. Condra stole second as the Bears continued their threat but Richardson retired Ellis to end the inning.

Madruga led the offensive for Mercer, notching two of the Bears’ three hits while going 2-for-3. Lever paced the Yellow Jackets, going 2-for-3 and scoring one run. Stephanie Rossman took the loss for the Bears, tossing three innings and giving up two runs with four strikeouts. Whitney Humphreys picked up the win for Georgia Tech, giving up no runs and striking out a pair in two innings of work.

The Bears begin postseason play Thursday at the Atlantic Sun Championships in DeLand, Fla. Mercer faces No. 1 seed Stetson in its first contest at 1 p.m.