It was almost as if curfew was approaching.

Father Time and Mother Nature seemed to be just watching as the Chesterton Trojans and Michigan City Wolves played their IHSAA Sectional Baseball opener on Wednesday night at Merrillville.

With Bobby Humphreys at the plate for the Trojans in the top of the seventh inning and Chesterton on top 5-2, curfew hit. A bolt of lightning in the sky and the beginning of a severe thunderstorm called a halt to the night’s game.

The game’s conclusion is set for tonight at 4:30 p.m. before the final two opening round games are played.

Chesterton opened up the scoring in the top of the second inning when Austin Cooley reached on a one-out single up the middle. After a wild pitch, Alex Olson earned a walk. Nate Majcher hit a ground ball up the middle that was mishandled to load the bases.

After a strikeout, KJ Zelenika hit a bloop single to short right-field plating Cooley and Olson.

Michigan City scored both its runs in the second inning as Rodney Washington reached on a dropped third strike. A single by Logan Kaletha was followed by a single from Joel Hirsch that never left the infield, but plated two runs.

In the fourth, Chesterton took the lead back with a leadoff walk to Zelenika. Pinch-runner Josh Jaeger moved to second on a walk to Justin Jenks. An RBI ground out by Jordan Peterson pushed the score to 3-2.

Two more runs in the fifth inning started with a double from Cooley. A sacrifice bunt by Olson led to an RBI single from Majcher. Majcher moved to third on a single by Zach Hise and scored on a wild pitch for a 5-2 lead.

Peterson worked the first five innings for Chesterton on the mound and allowed just five hits and struck out five.

Michigan City tried to rally its way back into the game in the sixth inning against reliever Bobby Humphreys.

After a ground out to start the inning, Kaletha singled to centerfield and Lane Van Sickle walked. Another ground out was followed by a walk to Dustin Rivich to load the bases.

Vincent Yadavia’s weak ground ball to second base ended the threat.

The winner of tonight’s completed game will face off against Crown Point, a 3-1 winner over LaPorte, on Friday beginning at 4:30 p.m.

Posted 5/26/2011