Majcher tough for for Chesterton

Updated: April 25, 2011 6:24AM

GARY - As any baseball or basketball coach can tell you, it's never a bad thing to have a strong bench. No one knows that better than Chesterton's Jack Campbell, who just happens to coach both sports.

In the Trojans' 3-2 win over Griffith on Saturday in the RailCats High School Baseball Challenge at the Steel Yard, the game-winning run was scored thanks to his backup guys.

Well, technically, the Chesterton player that won the game is not exactly a bench player.

Far from it.

In fact, Nate Majcher is one of the best players the Duneland Athletic Conference has to offer, making the all-conference team last season. But a back injury suffered during summer ball has limited him to only four at-bats this season, three of which were strikeouts.

"It's been very frustrating having to sit out for most of the season," Majcher said. "It's been a struggle to come to practice and then not being able to play. So it was exhilarating to help us win because it has been so long since I've played."

With the game tied at 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning, pinch-hitter Zac Hise led off the inning with a single.

Bobby Humphreys, who came off the bench to pitch in the fifth inning, laid down a sacrifice bunt, sending pinch-runner Josh Yaegar to third before pinch-hitter Majcher smoked a first-pitch fastball into left-center field.

The game-winning hit left the Trojans with a victory and Griffith coach Brian Jennings with no regrets.

"This is the best we've played this season," Jennings said. "We made plays, we battled and our pitcher threw one heck of a game for us."

Indeed, Calvin Bonewits deserved better than losing pitcher status. The three-sport athlete went the distance while giving up only five hits and two earned runs before being the victim of Majcher's first hit of the season.

"I told the kids I wanted to play mostly the seniors today," Campbell said. "We substituted a few kids today but it was a good team win."

But also a costly one, with catcher Austin Cooley suffering an injury in the second inning after apparently using his left leg to block the plate on Eric Bean after a single by Griffith designated hitter Sean Gallina.

On a bang-bang play at the plate, the tag barely beat Bean to the bag, thanks to the relay throw from Chesterton shortstop Justin Jenks.

The good news for the Trojans was that it stopped the Panthers from extending a 2-1 lead. The bad news is that Cooley suffered what Campbell said was a strained MCL.

Mike Dobosz's first-inning RBI triple gave the Panthers a 2-0 lead but a first-inning run-scoring double by Jordan Peterson and a single by Zach Rochowiak scoring Peterson in the fourth tied the game at 2-2 before Majcher ended it in the seventh.

"He hit a pitch that was right by his ankles," Jennings said. "What are you going to do?"

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