By Michael Eldridge | @DFWSportsMike

ARLINGTON, Texas - UT Arlington was prevented a sweep of Day 2 action in the UT Arlington Invitational as Texas Tech put up seven runs in an inning to defeat the Mavericks at Allan Saxe Field on Friday.

The Mavericks (9-3) were able to reach their best start since 1980 behind a 19-3 win over Prairie View A&M, the 9-2 opening to the season is the best for the team since going 14-1 to start the '80 campaign. UTA was just innings away from clinching its second victory of the day before the Red Raiders stole momentum away.

"I think that we gave them that game," UT Arlington coach Kristie Fox said. "We didn't take care of the ball and we had a lot of opportunities. We just have to continue to focus and get better every day. I am proud of the effort they put out there and we are just going to keep on trucking through the weekend."

UTA continues play with a pair of games on Day 2. The Mavs begin Saturday against UMKC at 10 a.m. before a meeting with DePaul at 2 p.m.

Game 1: UT Arlington 19, Prairie View A&M 3
Final Stats

UT Arlington set the tone for its offense on Friday in the opener, using a two-out rally in the first to put the game away.

The team hit around in the lineup twice during the first and picked up hits from seven starters, as well as at least a run from each in the inning.

With two outs, the Panthers walked Meagan Michele with the bases loaded for UTA's first run, opening the floodgates for the remainder of the inning. Jolene Schaefer singled to center, and after an error, three runs came across the plate.

Rebecca Stokes made it 5-0 with a triple down the right-field line. Five runs later, Stokes singled to bring in a pair of runs and the Mavs took a 12-0 lead after the first inning.

Joni Hanke kept it going in the second inning with a RBI single for her third career hit. Schaefer scored two with a double to push the lead to 15-0.

The Panthers brought home three in the third before the Mavs struck again. Stokes knocked another double, this time bringing in two and Britnea Barilli finished things off with a single to center to score two.

Overall, UTA finished with 17 hits as Schaefer led with a four-hit day to go with four RBI. Stokes finished with two hits and two runs, while Barilli had three runs, two hits and two RBI.

Game 2: Texas Tech 10, UT Arlington 6
Final Stats

UT Arlington appeared to be cruising to a sweep to open the tournament before things unraveled for the Mavericks in the fifth. The Red Raiders scored seven runs on eight hits during the frame and stole momentum away from the hot offense of the Mavericks.

UTA's two-out magic in the first carried over from the first game, scoring three runs in the opener. Sandra Mendoza was able to come around to score after leading the game off with a single. Mendoza came in on an illegal pitch, and Stokes would knock in two in the next at-bat.

The lead extended to 5-0 in the second with self-inflicted errors by Texas Tech. An error helped lead to the Mavs' two runs, as two players were hit by a pitch to bring home runners.

The Mavericks were unable to escape Texas Tech's half of the fifth as the Red Raiders jumped into the lead with their seven-run inning.

Texas Tech added runs in the sixth and seventh innings before Meagan Michele was able to provide UTA's lone answer, a home run in the seventh to open the bottom half of the inning. Michele had UTA's only home run of the day.

TICKETS: Tickets are available at UTATickets.com and 817-272-9595. Parking is free for all games at Allan Saxe Field.

UTA Diamond Club: The UTA Softball Diamond Club was created to promote the program, as well as the new stadium, and provide the best experience for fans. Membership in Diamond Club is $100 and includes a season ticket for all UTA home games, a commemorative t-shirt, a seat cushion and access to reserved seating. For more information visit UTATickets.com.