CONWAY, Ark. _ The University of Central Arkansas Bears grabbed a lead in the top of the 10th inning on Friday night but could not hold it as the UT Arlington Mavericks rallied for a 9-8 victory at Clay Gould Ballpark.

The Bears (11-12, 5-5) broke an 7-7 tie in the 10th when sophomore Kraig Kelley got his first career RBI with a single to third base that brought in Ethan Harris with the go-ahead run. But the Bears gave up the tying and winning runs in the bottom of the inning by hitting a batter, walking another and committing two of their season-high five errors.

UCA reliever Bryce Biggerstaff hit UTA’s Michael Guerra to start the inning before Preston Morrow reached on an error. Matt Shorthall had a sacrifice fly to score Guerra and another UCA error and a walk loaded the bases.

Philip Incaviglia knocked in the winning run when UCA could not complete the double play on a ground ball to second base.

The Bears led the Mavericks (15-11, 4-6) through five innings but the home team answered in the bottom of the fifth to tie it at 5-5. UCA scored three runs in the second inning, with Blake Roberts getting an RBI single and Jonathan Davis adding a two-run single to left.

In the fifth, UCA got two more runs with Harris scoring on an error and Travis Snider bringing in Bryan Willson with a double to right field. The Bears made it 7-5 in the eighth when Harris doubled in two runs, but the Mavericks evened it again in the bottom of the inning.

One run scored on an error and the other on Shorthall’s ground out.

The Bears out-hit the Mavericks 15-8, led by Harris and Logan Moon, who both went 3 for 5, with Harris getting a pair of RBI. Davis was 2 for 5 with 2 RBI, while Willson was 2 for 6. Biggerstaff (1-2) was the hard-luck loser, allowing 4 unearned runs in 2.2 innings of work. Starter Jeffery Enloe went 7 innings, striking out 5 and allowing 4 hits and 4 earned runs.

Game 2 of the series is set for 2 p.m. Saturday.