Riverside’s Zach Hare no-hits Burrell as short-handed Panthers advance to Class 3A semis
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Tuesday, May 20, 2025 | 10:17 PM
Riverside starting pitcher Zack Hare throws against Burrell during a WPIAL Class 3A baseball quarterfinal Tuesday at North Allegheny High School.
Burrell’s Trey Coury tracks down a ball hit by Riverside’s Drake Fox during a WPIAL Class 3A baseball quarterfinal Tuesday at North Allegheny High School.
Riverside’s Dylan Meyer scores past Burrell’s Stephen Hasson during a WPIAL Class 3A baseball quarterfinal Tuesday at North Allegheny High School.
Riverside’s John Bowser scores behind Burrell catcher David Kleckner during a WPIAL Class 3A baseball quarterfinal Tuesday at North Allegheny High School.
Riverside’s Zack Hare pitches against Burrell during a WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinal Tuesday, May 20, 2025 at North Allegheny High School.
It takes more than rain to mess up Riverside’s Hare.
Riverside senior Zach Hare ignored the dismal weather and threw a no-hitter with 12 strikeouts Tuesday night as the top-seeded Panthers defeated No. 8 Burrell, 11-0, in a WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinal at North Allegheny. The rain-soaked game ended under the 10-run rule when Hunter Garvin hit a walk-off grand slam in the fifth inning.
The Panthers certainly looked like a No. 1 seed. They pounded out a double, three triples and two home runs among their nine hits, while Hare gave up just two walks.
Only once did Burrell hit a ball out of the infield.
“He threw unbelievable,” Burrell coach Jay Miller said. “He was throwing his fastball for strikes and putting it wherever he wanted. He threw his curveball the first time through the lineup, and the second time he introduced his slider. My gosh, he was amazing.”
The right-handed Slippery Rock recruit improved to 7-0 and dropped his ERA to 1.09. Hare struck out the side in the second, third and fourth innings, upping his season total to 101 strikeouts in 50 innings.
“They’re not a bad team,” Riverside coach Dan Oliastro said. “He was just really good.”
Riverside started the year with three top senior pitchers — Hare, Duke recruit Christian Lucarelli and Garvin – but only Hare was available to throw on Tuesday. Oliastro said Lucarelli and Garvin both were dealing with arm soreness.
Lucarelli won’t pitch again until the state playoffs, he said.
“When you have pitchers that throw as hard as they do, they’re also high maintenance,” Oliastro said. “But we knew (Hare) was ready to go. On four days rest, he was outstanding.”
Riverside (15-2) next faces No. 5 South Park (14-6) in a semifinal at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Plum. Oliastro said he wasn’t sure who’d start on the mound but speculated that Garvin might be ready.
Garvin is 2-1 with a 1.29 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 16⅓ innings. Lucarelli has a 4-1 record with a 1.45 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 29 innings. Garvin started in center field and Lucarelli at first base with Hare on the mound.
“Most of the teams only have one good pitcher,” Oliastro said. “We’ve been privileged that we have three.”
Riverside knows for certain Hare is unavailable to pitch Wednesday. He threw 70 pitches against Burrell, and most were sharp despite the rain drops.
“I became comfortable with switching out baseballs,” Hare said. “I usually love to pitch with just one for the whole thing, but in that kind of game, you do not want to pitch with a wet baseball.”
Burrell used three pitchers. Senior starter Stephen Hasson went 3⅔ innings and allowed five runs on five hits, five walks and four strikeouts. Riverside scored six runs combined off relievers Brayden Mell and Ryan Wass, who threw one third of an inning each.
Garvin’s grand slam capped a six-run fifth inning that started with a home run by Drake Fox. Garvin’s blast cleared the right-field fence while Fox homered to left. Sophomore Dylan Meyer also tripled and scored in the inning as six out of seven batters reached base.
Riverside had six extra-base hits in all, including two triples by Meyer. The wet grass made cutting off line drives tricky at times for Burrell’s outfielders, and Riverside capitalized.
“Those balls in right-center field really took off as soon as they hit the grass,” Miller said.
Riverside also scored one run in the first, one in the third and three in the fourth for a 5-0 lead. Hare hit an RBI double in the second inning. John Bowser had an RBI triple in the fourth.
“Our team in the playoffs is a different team than it is in the regular season,” Hare said. “Everyone just comes together. We’re loud in the dugout and loud on the bases. The amount of adrenaline our whole team gets from that fuels us.”
Burrell never got its offense going. The Bucs twice had a runner walk and steal second base. But each time Hare ended the inning with consecutive strikeouts.
“We ran into a dominant pitcher,” Miller said. “It’s not like we didn’t try to make adjustments at the plate. He was just effectively throwing all of his pitches for strikes.”
Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.
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