Menhart’s skid hits 5 games

Friday, July 25, 1997 | 8:19 a.m.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Paul Menhart suffered his fifth straight loss since his trade to Las Vegas as the Stars dropped an 8-6 Pacific Coast League decision to the Salt Lake Buzz before a Pioneer Day crowd of 15,500 at Franklin Quest Field.

Menhart allowed seven runs on 11 hits in 6 1/3 innings and has not won a game since his trade from Tacoma to Las Vegas on June 10. Menhart was 4-7 with the Rainiers.

The Stars took a 1-0 lead on Dave Hajek's RBI single in the first and tied it at 3-3 in the third on a scoring fly ball by Charles Poe and an RBI triple by Hajek. Las Vegas went ahead 5-3 in the fourth on a two-run single by Doug Dascenzo.

Chad Rupp pulled the Buzz to within a run in the fourth with a solo home run, his 22nd. The Buzz took a 6-5 lead in the fifth and increased it to 7-5 in the seventh on a one-out walk and an RBI triple by Brent Brede.

Jamie Ogden gave Salt Lake an 8-5 edge with a solo home run in the eighth off reliever Todd Schmitt, and Las Vegas capped the scoring in the ninth when Poe doubled, took third on Derrek L. Lee's single and scored on a double-play grounder by Hajek.

The Stars (15-20 in the second half and 40-66 overall) and Buzz conclude the series tonight at 6 and open a four-game series Friday night at Tacoma.