LAS VEGAS – Finishing their season-opening trip to the Desert Stinger tournament, University of Sioux Falls suffered a 5-4 defeat to No. 4 West Texas A&M on Sunday. The Cougars return to Sioux Falls with a 2-3 record and will continue the season next weekend in St. Cloud, Minn. where they will play four games on Feb. 11-12.
 
With two runs in each of the second and third innings, Sioux Falls had built a 4-0 lead through three innings. The Lady Buffs scored four runs in the fourth inning and added the game-winning run in the sixth. Courtney Mathews, who came on in relief for USF starting pitcher Kerrigan Hoshaw, was handed the loss.
 
Hoshaw set the Lady Buffs down in order in the top of the first and Sydney Nieveen connected on a single in the second with Hoshaw following with a base on balls, but USF couldn't push a run across. Hoshaw shook off two hits in the second to throw another scoreless inning, setting up the Cougars to take the lead.
 
Francesca Mickelson led off the bottom of the second with a double to left centerfield and advanced to third on Megan Peterson's sac bunt. Britni Broussard joined Mickelson on the basepaths with an infield single and she stole second to move into scoring position. Emma Schifferle drove in both runners with a single to leftfield, giving USF a 2-0 lead.
 
After a 1-2-3 inning from Hoshaw, USF doubled their lead. Nieveen led off by getting hit by a pitch and Jasmine Ragusi singled up the middle on ebatter later. Mickelson walked to load the bases and Peterson recorded an RBI with a sacrifice fly to leftfield. The Cougars pushed one more across by way of passed ball as Brittany Hoffmann scored as a pinch runner for Ragusi.
 
With four hits in the top of the fourth, West Texas A&M took advantage of two USF fielding errors to tie the game. With one out, Mathews replaced Hoshaw in the circle and she induced a popup before ending the Lady Buffs rally with a strikeout. USF put two runners on in the bottom half of the inning with a Schifferle walk and Nieveen reaching on an error, but USF couldn't retake the lead.
 
Mathews sat WTAMU in order in the fifth and USF again stranded two runners after Mickleson and Broussard reached on an error. In the sixth inning, West Texas A&M hit a solo homerun to take the lead, 5-4. Nieveen recorded her second hit in the bottom of the sixth but USF couldn't muster the tying run in their final trips to the plate, handing them a 5-4 loss.