MORGANTOWN — Sean Keselica induced a game-ending double play with the tying run in scoring position Sunday, helping the West Virginia Black Bears defeat the Staten Island Yankees, 4-3, for their ninth straight win.
Keselica allowed three straight singles and a sacrifice fly to start the ninth inning, allowing Staten Island (19-16) to cut its two-run deficit in half. But with two on and one out, Keselica got Junior Valera to bounce into a double play to shortstop, lifting the Black Bears to their second straight three-game sweep at home.
West Virginia (20-16) fell behind early as Bret Helton allowed two first-inning runs. Thairo Estrada singled to score Junior Valera for the Yankees’ first run, and Estrada scored on Zack Zehner’s single.
The Black Bears took their first lead with a three-run second inning. Ryan Nagle doubled to score Daniel Arribas, and Nagle came around to score on David Andriese’s single. A two-out triple by Mitchell Tolman plated Andriese and proved to give the Black Bears the lead for good.
Helton settled in after his early struggles for a strong five-inning start. He scattered the two runs on seven hits and struck out three to improve his record to 2-4.
Kevin Newman’s double in the fifth scored Tolman for the Black Bears’ final run.
Helton was relieved by Nick Hibbing, who struck out three and didn’t allow a hit in two innings.
Daniel Zamora pitched a scoreless eighth before giving way to Keselica.
Yoel Espinal suffered the loss. He started and allowed three runs on three hits in two innings.
Nagle led the Black Bears, going 2-for-3 with two doubles, one run and one RBI.
Tolman was 2-for-3 with a run and one RBI.
Six of the Black Bears’ seven hits came from their sixth through nine batters.
The save was Keselica’s third of the season.
Valera, Zehner, Jhalan Jackson and Kevin Cornelius each had two hits in defeat.
West Virginia returns to action Tuesday at 7 p.m. with a road game at the Tri-City ValleyCats (New York). It marks the first of six straight road games for the Black Bears, who improved to 11-7 at home by winning their seventh straight contest at Monongalia County Ballpark.
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