Lamar (13-11) fell behind 2-0 after one inning and didn't get until Sarah Ragsdale singled with one out in the top of the fourth, the first ball Lamar got out of the infield. Sable Hankins hit into a double play on the very next pitch to end the inning.

"We weren't sharp today," Lamar coach Holly Bruder said. "We didn't hustle, we didn't play hard. We can't just turn it on and off."

UT Arlington (15-14) opened the scoring when Meagan Michele's two-out triple drove in Sandra Mendoza. Michele scored on a single by Shelbi Sikes.

The Mavericks made it 3-0 in the third when Michele homered to left field off Lamar starter Laura Napoli (9-6).

The Lady Cardinals answered with a run in the top of the fifth as Shannon Sain scored on a Brynn Baca fielder's choice. UT Arlington made it 4-1 in the bottom of the sixth as Mallory Foster homered on the first pitch thrown by Lamar reliever Lauren Dannelley.

Lamar tried to get some late-inning heroics as Jenna Holland doubled with two outs in the seventh and raced home to score on Baca's infield single, but it was too little too late for the Lady Cardinals.

UT Arlington starter Sam Montes (6-8) pitched a complete game, allowing five hits and two runs, both earned. She did not allow a walk and struck out one.

Napoli allowed five hits and three runs, all earned over five innings. She walked two.

Lamar's Stephanie Meeuwsen singled in the fifth inning to extend her streak of reaching base successfully to 18 straight games, two shy of the school record of 20 she shares with Beverly Corry. Sain's single extended her streak of reaching base safely to a career-best 17 games.

Lamar returns to action with a three-game Southland Conference series at Incarnate Word this weekend. The teams will play a doubleheader that is now slated to start at noon Friday, followed by a single game at noon Saturday. Friday's games will be broadcast live on www.LamarCardinals.com.

Lamar enters the weekend in a four-way tie for first place in the conference with a 6-0 record.

Following the Incarnate Word series, Lamar returns home for a seven-game homestand, its longest of the season, starting with a non-conference doubleheader against Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 5 p.m. March 25.

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