By JASON NARK
Courier-Post Staff
CAMDEN

The brooms were out and ready for sweeping Sunday. But a wild pitch by Riversharks reliever Jimmy ``Slim'' Williams in the top of the ninth inning scored left fielder Joe Mathis and Newark won 2-1 in front of 3,221 fans at Campbell's Field.

With the win, Newark (44-34 overall, 6-9 second half) avoided the three-game sweep, which would have been the Sharks' first since taking three in a row from Lehigh Valley in May.

Newark second basemen Steve Hine was behind in the count with two outs and the bases loaded when Williams went for a big pitch to end the inning.

Unfortunately for Camden (28-50 overall, 4-10 second half), Williams went for a little too much.

``I had a too much adrenaline,'' Williams said. ``I wanted to throw a nasty pitch for a strikeout but I overthrew it and the ball hit the top of the plate.

``I wanted to get nasty when I should have took a deep breath and threw a quality pitch.''

Williams dropped to 1-4 on the year.

After two consecutive 10-run games and a combined 27 hits, the Camden bats were silenced in the loss, producing only four hits.

Bears pitcher Jason Pierson was partly to blame for that - Pierson struck out eight batters and gave up three hits in 7— innings.

Dwayne Henry took the win for Newark despite pitching only two-thirds of an inning.

``You have to give Pierson credit,'' Sharks manager Wayne Krenchicki said. ``He moved the ball in and out and used his changeup well.''

Krenchicki felt the previous two games may have taken some of the fight out of his sqaud.

``You have a day game after a night game - you know, we could have been dragging a little bit,'' he said.

``Sundays are tough,'' said Sharks third baseman Brad Strauss, a Haddon Township High School graduate. `` Sometimes it seems like you're just not ready to go.''

Strauss went 0-for-4 Sunday, putting an end to his 13- game hitting streak.

Despite the loss, taking two out of three could be a step in the right direction for the Sharks.

``We won the series,'' Sharks starter Jeff Love said, `` and if you can take two out of three in every series, you'd be in pretty good shape.''

Love was a bright spot for the Sharks on an otherwise dismal afternoon. Normally a reliever, Love started in place of Frankie Sanders and went eight innings - giving up only one run and seven hits.

Newark scored the game's first run after Jose Alguacil scored from third on an Eduardo Reyes RBI ground out in the top of the third.

Camden tied things up in the bottom of the seventh when designated hitter Guillermo Garcia scored on a fielder's choice off the bat of outfielder Darrell Nicholas.

After a day's rest, Camden will embark on a nine-game road trip that kicks off Tuesday against Long Island.

The Sharks return home to face Bridgeport on Aug. 8.