Stars blow a four run lead, lose 8-5

Ray Brewer

Saturday, July 19, 1997 | 9:19 a.m.

For Stan Spencer and the Las Vegas Stars, Friday night's game against the Calgary Cannons was one they let slip away.

Spencer, who finished the game with 10 strike outs, entered the top of the eighth in great shape. Leading 5-1, he was on a pace to pass a Stars season high in strikeouts (11) and he had retired 18 of the last 20 batters he faced, including 12 straight.

Then, he made one bad pitch to Calgary's Billy Lott for a towering two-run home run to cut the lead to 5-3.

With the Stars still leading 5-3 in the ninth, the Stars brought in stopper Marc Kroon for the save.

Calgary roughed up Kroon and reliever Steve Mintz for five runs, two of which came from another two-run blast from Lott as the Cannons escaped with a 8-5 victory over the Stars in the first game of a four game series at Cashman Field.

"We did a good as we could," Stars manager Jerry Royster said. "We wish we could have won. We did a pretty good job, it just wasn't enough tonight."

After sitting out last season due to a separated shoulder suffered in a ski accident, Spencer was impressed with his progress.

"I think I threw the ball well for seven innings," Spencer said. "I just made some mistakes in the eighth. I'm progressing good, feel good and have been throwing the ball well."

Royster was equally impressed with the performance of Spencer.

"He pitched great." Royster said. "Another quality start..he's doing as outstanding job as anyone for us."

At one point in the game, Spencer had struck out four out of the last five batters he faced, including striking out the side in the second inning.

Spencer did learn a valuable lesson from the loss.

"I need to take things one pitch at a time," he said. "One pitch can cost you a good or bad start."

The Stars scored two runs in the fourth inning and three in the fifth.

Terry Schumpert, who went 3-for-3 with two runs scored, double to start the fourth, eventually scoring on an Angelo Encarnacion single. Spencer then helped his own cause with a double to score Encarnacion and later scored a Cannon infield error.

Schumpert and Encarnacion had back to back singles to start the fifth and shortstop Jorge Velandia had a run-scoring single that brought in Schumpert. Encarnacion came around to score thanks to an error on the Velandia single.

After the fifth inning, the Stars had only three hits.

"We aren't a big RBI team," Royster said. "We were are winning 5-1 with Spencer, Veras and Kroon, you think you are in pretty good shape."

With the loss, the Stars fall to 11-18 on the season and last place of the Pacific Coast League's Southern Division.

"We can't lose games we are supposed to win," Royster said. "And win did it again."

Curt Schmidt improved to 2-0 for Calgary, pitching two scoreless innings

to close out the game.

NOTES: It was Derek Lee night at Cashman Field on Friday with free admission for people with Derek or Lee in their name. First basemen Derrek Lee went 0-5 and outfielder Derek Lee went 0-1 in a pinch hitting role. Despite the promotion, only 3,418 showed up for the game.....Former Star Mandy Romero, recently called up to the Padres hit his first big league home run against the Florida Marlin in the Padres' 5-3 win on Friday... Former Star Bobby Munoz, who was released by the team last week, was picked up by the Los Angles Dodgers and sent to their AAA team in Albuquerque... With the win, the Cannons improve to 11-17 for the second part of the season. Calgary, the farm team for the Pirates a currently in last place of the PCL's Northern Division...The two teams will play Saturday at 7:05 p.m. at Cashman Field on beach towel give-away night.