By Kim J. Harmon
By Kim J. Harmon
Sure, Hot Shots Bar & Grille had a game to give in the Newtown Menâs Sunday Slo-Pitch League championship last weekend against Newtown Financial at Dickinson Park, but heading into the bottom of the third it was looking at a 6-1 deficit.
Was it time to start getting a little nervous?
Nah.
The power hitters starting warming up and with eight runs in the bottom of the fifth inning and five more in the sixth and seventh innings, Hot Shots blew open what had been a close game and rolled to a 22-8 win for its fourth title in the last five years.
Hot Shots finished the season in second place with three losses, but then rolled through the post-season tournament undefeated. Newtown Financial came out of the loserâs bracket and, thus, had to beat Hot Shots twice on Sunday to claim the title.
Things, in that regard, were looking pretty good early when Pat Smith blasted a two-run homer in the top of the first inning. Though Jesse Dudics answered back in the bottom of the frame for Hot Shots with an RBI single, Newtown Financial kept up the pressure and, with the aid of a two-run homer by Carl xx, took a 6-1 lead heading into the bottom of the third.
But, by then, Hot Shots was ready.
With the bases loaded an no one out, George Matern singled in a run before Chris Dennis and Rick Kasbarian both lofted deep sacrifice flies that scored two runs and brought Hot Shots to within two at the close of the frame, 6-4.
After a rare scoreless inning (thanks to a nifty 4-6-3 double play in the top of the fourth with Kasbarian flipping to Porco at second and Porco firing over to Dennis at first), Hot Shots busted the game wide open.
In the bottom of the fifth, Matern ripped another RBI single and was followed, in succession, by a two-run single off the bat of Dennis, a two-run homer by Kasbarian that dropped softly behind the centerfield fence 320 feet away, a two-run double by Mike Porco and then another RBI single by Dudics.
Further damage was avoided when Newtown Financial shortstop Joe Carrino scrambled back into the outfield for an over-the-shoulder catch, but by then Hot Shots had taken a 12-6 lead.
And there was no stopping. After Carl slashed a two-run single in the top of the sixth to pull Newtown Financial a little closer, 12-8, the bottom of the frame was highlighted by a three-run homer to left off the bat of Kasbarian and two-run homer deep into the trees and a little closer to the left field foul pole by Ken Samuelson that put Hot Shots ahead, 17-8.
In the bottom of the seventh, Hot Shots finished things off with a sacrifice fly by Matern, a two-run homer by Dennis, and a two-run single by Samuelson that put them ahead, 22-8, with just six outs left to get.
And with the offense finally cooled, the Hot Shots defense decided to flash a little leather. In the top of the eighth, Dave Amaral (in left) and Dave Samoskevich (in center) made diving catches to keep Newtown Financial off the base paths.
Amaral wasnât finished, either. In the top of the ninth, he leapt high at the fence and snatched a home run out of the air for the final insult.
In the end, Kasbarian homered twice and drove in six runs while Dennis singled, homered and drove in six runs of his own. Samuelson singled, homered and drove in four runs while Matern, Dudics and Porco drove in two runs apiece.
Carl drove in four runs for Newtown Financial with a homer and a single.
Gene Chappell pitched a steady ball game for Hot Shots.