By MICHAEL RADANO
Courier-Post Staff
CAMDEN

If only the Camden Riversharks could play the Long Island Ducks every night.

The Sharks (42-69 overall, 18-30 second half) got yet another strong outing from their starting pitching staff and, for once, some help from the offense in a 5-4 win over Long Island.

The win clinched the season series with the Ducks, as the Sharks have won 10 of the 16 games played.

The only other franchise in the league the Sharks hold an advantage over is Lehigh Valley, and that's a slim 8-7 lead, with the final three games of the series just two weeks away.

"I'm not even going to touch that one," manager Wayne Krenchicki said, when told of the advantage.

"That's not for us to keep track of - that's your job," winning pitcher Mike Busby said.

The only one willing to comment was Darrell Nicholas, who took it as a sign of what went wrong this year, not what went right.

"It's the same," said Nicholas, who hit a key two-run home run in the fourth. "We played a team we should have beat and we did.

``Too many times this year we played teams we should have beat and gave them the game."

With only 15 games left, some players are auditioning for next year. Some can see an end to their careers, and some are weighing their options. Either way, the last 15 games are important to many on a personal level.

"Are we looking to next year? Of course," Krenchicki said. "That's one of the reasons we made the deal for ( Jorge) Morales. I talked to (Guillermo) Garcia, and he said if nothing else materializes he's be happy to come back. That would give us (Joe) Goodwin, Garcia and Morales behind the plate. Jorge can be a good DH. And we wouldn't have to catch Guillermo as much.

"At the same time, we take each game very seriously. We want to win each night. A strong finish is not out of reach."

With the score tied at 1, Raul Rodarte led off the fourth with his second double of the game.

Rodarte is one of those players the Sharks would love to have back on the team next year, but the draw of the Mexican League and its higher wages may be too much to overcome.

One out later Nicholas hit his sixth home run.

"I was looking for a fastball that I could just get up in the air," said Nicholas, who gave the Sharks a 3-1 lead. "I stayed back pretty good, and it was a pitch I could drive."

In the fifth, a sacrifice fly by Garcia gave the Sharks a 4-1 lead and, with two outs, Rodarte walked.

Dan Held's double gave the Sharks a 5-1 edge.

Busby picked up his seventh win of the year after a slow start.

"I just try to limit my walks and not give up a home run," said Busby, who leads the league in both categories. " I hurt myself. Tonight was better (four walks, no home runs) but we won. That's all I care about."

Long Island (58-55, 22-27) took a short-lived lead in the top of the first.

Justin Davies led off the inning with a single.

After he stole second, P.H. Williams grounded out to second and advanced Davies to third. After a strikeout by Doug Jennings, Francisco Morales singled home the first run of the game.

It was the only time Busby would struggle until the seventh.

Email this story to a friend