By MICHAEL RADANO
Courier-Post Staff
CAMDEN

Mired in a four-game losing streak, the Riversharks needed something, anything, to go their way.

For eight innings, the Sharks seemed doomed to make it five straight, but the baseball gods didn't let that happen. They're just not that cruel.

``Any win right now is a good win,'' Sharks third baseman Brad Strauss said. ``We haven't been able to do it at home, so maybe this came at the right time and we can fix some things on the road.''

The Sharks (10-10) defeated the Pennsylvania Road Warriors 1-0 in front of 3,078 at Campbell's Field Sunday. It took a Ric Johnson sacrifice fly to right with the bases loaded and one out in the ninth coupled with Strauss' head- first slide under the tag of catcher Jorge Morales at the plate to score the only run of the game.

``I knew he tagged me, but my hand was in,'' Strauss said. ``At that point, I was going on about anything that went into the outfield. Fortunately, I got a good jump back to the bag and we got that run.''

A run the Sharks desperately needed for morale more than anything else and one that, for much of the game, looked to be as hard to find as the Holy Grail.

Pennsylvania starter Aaron Sams no-hit the Sharks for seven innings before he was relieved by Dustin Robinson, who took the loss. Sams struck out 10 and walked five.

``I think by the fifth I knew what was going on,'' said Sams, who allowed only leadoff hitter Jason McDonald to reach third in his seven innings of work after McDonald led the game off with a walk. ``But I wasn't really concerned. I never went that far before, so I was just concerned with the game. I did get tired in the seventh, but sure, I would have liked to get another inning.''

``(Sams) pitched extremely well I thought,'' Sharks manager Wayne Krenchicki said. ``He stayed away from the hitters. He had movement on his fastball and kept his changeup down. He pitched very well. Hell, the score tells you that.''

Through the recent string of losses, two things have been constant. The Sharks have continued to get good pitching, for the most part, and they haven't hit at all. Obviously, Sunday was more of the same.

On this day, the Sharks failed to support starter Pedro Flores. Flores, who got a no decision, went eight innings in which he allowed four hits, two walks and struck out 11, one more than his counterpart. In his last start, Flores went five innings and threw about 125 pitches.

On Sunday, the pitch count was similar.

``Obviously I'm thrilled with his outing,'' Krenchicki said. ``He kept us in the game.''

``I had all three of my pitches,'' Flores said. ``My fastball, curve and change were all effective. ( Pennsylvania) helped because they came up swinging. That let me go a little deeper into the game.''

The first hit was almost, in a season filled with almosts, the only hit the Sharks needed.

With one out in the eighth, Jesus Azuaje walked and then stole second off of Robinson. After Jason McDonald struck out, Alex Eckelman, who had a nine-game hit streak halted on Saturday, finally got the Sharks first hit of the day with a single through the right side. Third base coach Steve Foucault waved Azuaje around from the start. Azuaje was out by 5 feet at the plate, but who could blame Foucault for trying?

``I had to send him,'' Foucault said after the game, `` force them to make the throw. It was a good throw, but, at that point, we had to force them to make the play.''

In the ninth, the Sharks loaded the bases on a walk to Strauss and a single by Bryon Gainey. After a perfect sacrifice bunt by Lipso Nava and a walk to Dwight Maness, the table was set for Johnson.

``I just wanted to hit something in the air,'' said Johnson, who fell behind 1-2 before he fouled off consecutive pitches and then lofted the ball to right. ``We haven't been hitting too much lately, so I just had to get the ball in the air and get the run in.''

Fortunately, that's just what he did.