By Kim J. Harmon

There were some who didn’t think Botsford Drive-In had any chance of beating the Inn of Newtown in the Sunday Slo-Pitch League championship this past weekend.

Yet, when four innings were already in the book, the game was knotted at 9-9. A win by Botsford – which came out of the loser’s bracket – would have forced another game in the double elimination tournament.

But as if all of that was a little too close for comfort, the Inn exploded for 12 runs in the next two innings and was on its way to recording a 25-15 win and staking claim to the league title.

Rick Kasbarian and Chris Dennis were the big boppers for the Inn. Kasbarian was 3-for-3 with a single, two home runs and three RBI and Dennis was 2-for-2 with a pair of home runs and five RBI. Each man was walked three times.

Kris Svensson had three hits for the Inn at the top of the order while Joe Devellis, Jimmy Tolster, John Grimardi (with a triple) and Justin Fraczek had three hits apiece. Mike Porco lashed a double and a single, as well. Tolster drove in four runs.

While Kasbarian and Dennis scored three times each, nearly every player scored at least one run. Only Chris D’Angelo didn’t score, but his sacrifice fly in the eighth inning plated a run.

Botsford jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first on run-scoring doubles by Carl Strait and Keith Brown and a run-scoring single by Bill Kasbarian. The Inn answered back in the bottom of the frame on a single by Svensson, a walk to Kasbarian, and a three-run homer by Dennis.

The Inn scored five more runs in the bottom of the second and held the lead for a couple of innings, but Botsford scored four runs in the top of the fourth to take a brief, 9-8 lead. Brian Trosan led off the frame with a single and then Matt Gee and Strait followed with singles to load the bases. Rich doubled in a pair of runs and three batters later Dave Bambino singled in two more to put Botsford ahead.

A triple by Grimardi and sacrifice fly by Brian Hausberg in the bottom of the fourth enabled the Inn to tie the score at 9-9.

But that’s when the Inn exploded. In the bottom of the fifth, Kasbarian and Dennis homered back-to-back and then a single by Jim McKee, a double by Marc “Sparko” Adams, a single by Joe and sacrifice fly by Tolster had the Inn up 13-9.

Then eight more runs in the bottom of the sixth put the Inn ahead, 21-9.

Botsford scored once in the seventh and then five more times in the eighth to trim the lead to 21-15. It was a big inning, too, as Strait blasted a two-run homer and Bill Kasbarian later followed by a smash just over the fence in left for a three-run homer.

But the Inn put the game away with four runs in the bottom of the eighth – fueled by Rick Kasbarian’s second homer.

Bill Kasbarian led Botsford at the plate, going 4-for-5 with three singles, a homer and four RBI. Trosan, Gee, Strait, and Scott Keller had three hits apiece. Strait had three RBIs on the morning while Gee, Rich and Bambino knocked in two runs apiece.