By MICHAEL RADANO
Courier-Post Staff
CAMDEN

Friday night's game between the Camden Riversharks and the Atlantic City Surf had all the charm of a 5-year-old T-ball league at its best and a Sunday morning beer league at its worst.

Either way, it was far from a crisply played game and had many in attendance yearning for the excitement of the Little League World Series.

Danny Almonte or no Danny Almonte.

"It was pretty bad," Shark manager Wayne Krenchicki said. "I'm embarrassed to be a part of that game. I don't really want to discuss much about it."

Atlantic City beat the Sharks 11-5 in front of 5,859 sometimes confused, sometimes joyous fans at Campbell's Field Friday night. The win gave the Surf a final record of 11-7 against their South Jersey comrades and the first Expressway Series title.

Some of the night's highlights, or lowlights, were a combined 28 hits and seven errors. Those would be of the physical nature, the mental errors are much higher.

•A catch in the right-field gap featuring a collision that would make the ESPN football hit of the week.

•A runner was sent from second to home on a single and wasn't within 20 feet of the plate when the ball arrived.

•A 3-5-3 double play and a throw to the plate that reached orbit despite being thrown from just beyond the infield cutout.

The most amazing fact may have been that it took less than three hours to accomplish all this.

The top of the fourth was the inning de resistance.

With the score tied 2-2 Emison Soto led off with a single off Sharks starter Anthony Briggs. After Will Pennyfeather walked, the Sharks defense went numb.

Danny Perez singled through the left side and Surf manager Tommy Helms held Soto at third. Pennyfeather failed to see the sign and came all the way to third. Soto became the sacrificial lamb and started for home, hoping just to get Perez to second.

Sharks left fielder Raul Rodarte initially did the right thing by running the ball to the infield. He then lofted the ball home to get Soto. Unfortunately, the lob sailed so far that catcher Guillermo Garcia barely stayed in the cutout around home plate and Soto scored.

Enohel Polanco then singled home Pennyfeather and Alex Llanos did likewise for Perez.

That's when play reverted back to T-ball.

Willy Hill began the play with an attempted suicide squeeze. Sharks third baseman Brad Strauss tried to make the play at the plate but his throw while diving was too high and Polanco scored. With no one covering third, Llanos got into a foot race with shortstop Jesus Azuaje, who was able to make a behind-the-back tag.

After the final out the score was 6-2 in favor of the Surf. It could have been worse, but it could have been better.

Not that Atlantic City (56-53 overall, 18-28 half) looked that much better.

The Sharks (41-67, 17-28) trailed by that score with one out when Haddon Township graduate Strauss reached first on a ball that slid below the glove of a charging Llanos. After a walk to Azuaje and a strikeout, Garcia doubled down the left-field line. Surf left fielder Perez tried to pick the ball up several times and the end result was a pair of runs for Camden.

Now, Garcia is a catcher. He calls an excellent game and he leads the team with 15 home runs. But he is not a base- stealing threat nor does he even pretend to be. Which makes Krenchicki's next decision even more puzzling.

Rodarte singled through the left side. Krenchicki waved Garcia home from the outset but even the catcher was surprised and stuttered coming around third. Perez's throw easily had Garcia at the plate and the Sharks rally was over with the score 6-4.

"You still got to take a chance," Krenchicki said. "I've got Dan Held up next and he's 2-for-25. And I'm still going to take a chance. I've had Danny Perez. Danny Perez played for me for three years. And Danny Perez doesn't have a great arm.

"Believe me I wish I had been thrown out of the game in the second inning when the umpire blew that call at second base. That way I wouldn't have had to watch the rest of the game."

Just remember, only 18 games left before you've missed the inaugural season of Riversharks baseball.

Email this story to a friend