Riversharks

The Camden Riversharks produced their highest run total of the season yesterday in an 18-4 Atlantic League win over the Newark Bears. The winners scored nine runs in the seventh inning, sparked by Wayne Lydon's grand slam. Camden's Brian Burgamy drove in three runs with a single and a double.

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. - The Camden Riversharks defeated the Somerset Patriots, 7-3, in the Atlantic League last night. Bryon Gainey's two-run double keyed a four-run fifth as the Riversharks wiped out a 3-1 Somerset lead. Creighton Gubanich hit a two-run single in the seventh to put the game away. Gary Collum, Alex Eckelman and Dwight Maness also drove in runs. Starter Del Matthews (10-9) picked up the win, allowing three earned runs on eight hits and nine strikeouts in seven innings.

The Camden Riversharks' home opener Friday night at Campbell's Field was a success: The fireworks went off on schedule, and the team not only trashed the visiting Newark Bears, they handed them an 11-4 pasting in Atlantic League action. New Hampshire 6, Reading 3 BEDFORD, N.H. - The first-place New Hampshire Fisher Cats continued their winning ways, pounding the Reading Phillies in the Eastern League game. Kyle Drabek went seven innings, giving up two runs for his fourth win against one loss.

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. - The Somerset Patriots defeated Camden, 8-6, last night and pulled into a tie with the Riversharks for the second-half championship of the Atlantic League. The Patriots used the long ball to take an 8-0 lead after three innings. Edgard Clemente ripped a three-run homer in the bottom of the first. Norm Hutchins hit a two-run shot in the second and Luis Lopez belted a solo homer in the third. Camden, the league's first-half champion, responded with solo homers by David Miller, Stoney Briggs and Angel Pena, plus a two-run shot by Francisco Morales.

The Camden Riversharks finished the Atlantic League regular season yesterday with a 4-2 loss to host Somerset, the same team they'll be facing tomorrow when the league's playoffs begin. The Riversharks, winners of the first half in the Southern Division, will play at Somerset at 7 p.m. tomorrow in Game 1 of the best-of-three series. Camden will then host Game 2 on Wednesday and, if necessary, Game 3 on Thursday. Both games will begin at 7. In yesterday's loss, L.J. Biernbaum knocked in both runs and Matt Demarco had a pair of hits and scored once as the Riversharks dropped to 28-35 in the second half.

Strong pitching led Camden to a doubleheader sweep of Atlantic City yesterday in the Atlantic League. Bryan Ward struck out seven batters in seven innings as the Riversharks beat the Surf, 6-2, in the first game. Four pitchers combined for a 5-1 win in the second game. Ward (5-1), a Rancocas Valley High graduate, didn't walk a batter in the complete-game performance. Camden's Brad Strauss, a graduate of Haddon Township High, went 4 for 4 with a triple, two RBIs, and two runs scored.

Gary Johnson's sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth inning gave the Atlantic City Surf a 4-3 victory over the Newark Bears last night in the Atlantic League. With the win, the Surf pulled to just one game behind Camden in the race for the second-half South Division pennant. Starter Ryan Schurman got the win for the Surf. He allowed five hits and three runs while striking out eight and walking three in seven innings. Fernando Desgue gained his second save of the season by retiring the Bears in the ninth.

OTTAWA, Ontario - Dane Sardinha's sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh inning scored Jack Hannahan with the deciding run last night as the Toledo Mud Hens posted an 11-8 victory over the Ottawa Lynx in the International League. Toledo jumped to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning, highlighted by Mike Hessman's two-run homer. Bridgeport 14, Camden 3 Jesse Hoorelbeke hit two home runs for the Bluefish in a lopsided Atlantic League victory over the Riversharks at Campbell's Field.

The Camden Riversharks closed out the Atlantic League regular season with a 3-1 victory over the Atlantic City Surf, the team they will play for the South Division championship. The Riversharks, who won the second half of the season, will host the Surf, the first-half winners, at 6:35 p.m. tomorrow at Campbell's Field. The best-of-three division playoffs will move to the Sandcastle in Atlantic City at 6:35 p.m. Wednesday and, if necessary, Thursday. In yesterday's win, Quincy Foster hit a solo home run and Rich Barrett contributed three hits for Camden.

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. - The Camden Riversharks defeated the Somerset Patriots, 6-5, in an Atlantic League game last night. The Riversharks, who won the South Division's first half, took a one-game lead for first over the Patriots with three games remaining in the second-half race. The Sharks got a three-run home run from designated hitter Angel Pena in the third and scored three times in the fifth, helped by an RBI double by Dwight Maness. Camden starter Delvis Pacheco picked up the win, giving up three runs - one earned - on five hits in seven innings pitched.

The Camden Riversharks started their 13th season of minor-league baseball in South Jersey on Thursday night with a crushing 6-3 loss on the road to their Atlantic League archrivals, the Lancaster Barnstormers. Or, as the team fan base that has passed through the turnstiles of Campbell's Field more than three million times since 2001 would probably say, "Eh. " For the Riversharks - who play their 2013 home opener Tuesday night - winning isn't everything, or the only thing. Yes, winning's a thing - but so are the weekend fireworks shows, the weddings at home plate, the carousel, the rock-climbing wall, the appearances by characters like Dora the Explorer and Buzz Lightyear, and all the charity and community events that have allowed the independent ball club to remain an economically viable venture in the heart of a poverty-stricken city.

ROGER CLEMENS, at age 50, made a successful return to the mound on Saturday pitching for a minor league team in Texas. Clemens pitched for the Sugar Land Skeeters, who will be at Campbell's Field on Friday, Saturday and Sunday to play the Riversharks in an independent Atlantic League game. It is unknown if Clemens will accompany the team to pitch in Camden. Clemens, who last pitched for the Yankees in 2007, threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings against the Bridgeport Bluefish. He struck out two and allowed one hit. He threw 37 pitches.

Baseball enthusiasts are expected to flood Camden on Wednesday for the Atlantic League All-Star Game and related festivities. A block party, featuring food vendors, a moonbounce and a DJ, will start off the events at 2 p.m. in front of the Campbell's Field entrance on Penn Street. Traffic is expected to be affected only in the immediate Penn Street area near Rutgers-Camden, said Riversharks spokesman Jake Levy. Once the gates open at 4 p.m., former Eagles quarterback and ESPN NFL analyst Ron Jaworski and former Phillies manager and MLB Network analyst Larry Bowa will co-captain the "Legends v. Champions" celebrity softball game, featuring players from the 1980 and 2008 Phillies World Series Championship teams and other Philadelphia-area athletes.

ALLENTOWN - The Columbus Clippers beat the IronPigs, 4-1, in Game 4 of the best-of-five Governors' Cup series to win the International League championship Friday night at Coca-Cola Park. Columbus won the series, three games to one, the lone Lehigh Valley victory coming in Game 1 on Tuesday in Columbus. Clippers righthander Paolo Espino gave up one run over seven innings, and reliever Chen Lee finished out the game, striking out four in two innings of work. Lehigh Valley's Ryan Edell gave up three runs in six innings and took the loss.

READING - The New Hampshire Fisher Cats came back with two runs in the top of ninth to beat the Phillies, 4-2, at FirstEnergy Stadium and take the best-of-five Eastern League Division Series, three games to one. Long Island 3, Camden 1 CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. - The Ducks' Chris McCoy scattered nine hits over seven innings, holding the Riversharks to one run in Atlantic League action. New Hampshire 000 200 002 – 4 7 0 Reading 010 000 100 – 2 7 2 WP: Crawford (1-0)

INDIANAPOLIS - Brian Burres struck out nine batters in eight shutout innings as the Indianapolis Indians beat the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, 2-0, in the International League on Monday. Trenton 4, N.Hampshire 3 MANCHESTER, N.H. - Austin Romine's RBI single in the eighth gave the Thunder the win over the Fisher Cats in the Eastern League. Reading 7, N. Britain 3 NEW BRITAIN, Conn. - Brent Clevlen was 2 for 3 with a double, an RBI and three runs scored as the Phillies beat the Rock Cats in the Eastern League.

  ALLENTOWN - Brian Bass headed up the Lehigh Valley pitching staff on Sunday night as the IronPigs allowed just two hits to the Columbus Clippers and pitched a 4-0 shutout in the International League game. Josh Barfield hit his sixth homer of the season, a solo shot in the second inning. Binghamton 10, Reading 1 READING - The Phillies' Terry Evans smacked a homer with two out in the bottom of the ninth, but Reading still lost to the Mets in the Eastern League game.

  READING - Fidel Hernandez and Derrick Mitchell homered, and the Reading Phillies turned back the Binghamton Mets, 5-2, Friday in an Eastern League contest. B.J. Rosenberg (4-4) got the win for the R-Phils, going five innings and allowing both Binghamton runs. Jacob Diekman turned in his third save. Clearwater 9, Fort Myers 0 CLEARWATER, Fla. - The Threshers jumped on top with a six-run first inning, and the trio of Brody Colvin, Tommy Palica (1-0), and Andy Loomis combined for a two-hit shutout of the Miracle in the Florida State League.