Unbeaten in state title games, Riverside tops Mount Carmel for program’s 6th PIAA crown

By: Michael Love
Thursday, June 12, 2025 | 7:53 PM

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UNIVERSITY PARK – Riverside baseball is on top of the PIAA mountain once again.

The Panthers weathered a late-inning storm from District 4 champion Mount Carmel in Thursday’s Class 3A baseball championship game at Penn State’s Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

Riverside played small ball and pushed across two runs in the bottom of the sixth to break a tie before closing the door on the Red Tornadoes in the top of the seventh to claim the program’s sixth state championship and second in three years with a 4-2 victory.

“My real shirt has a ‘6’ on the back,” said Dan Oliastro, Riverside’s coach for more than five decades. “We don’t ever want to come here and lose. We’re now 6 for 6.

“I’ve been blessed with great players and great coaches, and great parents.”

The Panthers seniors – led by starters Hunter Garvin, Christian Lucarelli, Drake Fox, Sean Hayes, John Bowser and Zach Hare – go out as champions again after experiencing that title feeling as sophomores.

Riverside’s latest state crown comes 20 years after its first, an 8-0 win over Halifax in the 2005 Class 2A title game at Blair County Ballpark in Altoona.

The Panthers capped their season at 21-2 and won their final 12 games after losing to 5A power Bethel Park in 11 innings, 2-1, on April 17.

Thursday’s victory was Riverside’s 31st in 38 all-time PIAA games.

Hare saw a streak of hitless innings end at 36⅓ as Mount Carmel catcher Brayden Brinkash singled with two outs in the third.

The Red Tornadoes then struck for two runs in the top of the sixth to tie the game. One of the runs was earned off Hare, and a pair of errors helped lead to an unearned tally.

But Riverside responded in championship fashion by retaking the lead in the next half inning.

Lucarelli led off with a walk, and Fox reached on an error by Mount Carmel first baseman Clarke Cartwright on what was intended to be a sacrifice bunt.

A fielding error on an infield grounder off the bat of sophomore Dylan Meyer loaded the bases.

Junior outfielder Jackson Barber then laid down the first of two run-scoring bunts. Red Tornadoes relief pitcher Noah Shimko fielded Barber’s bunt, but he didn’t make a throw to any base.

Junior Logan Young followed with a bunt single to score Fox to make it 4-2.

“We practiced, I am not lying, an hour each practice just bunting,” Barber said. “We were most definitely ready for it when the opportunity came. We were able to come up clutch in the biggest situation.”

Hare said: “It just shows how our team doesn’t ever give up. Mount Carmel is just a great team there. They were on top of the world. It was loud. There was a lot of momentum in their direction, but we were able to build off that and execute some tiny little things and win with small ball.”

Hare entered the seventh at 99 pitches and finished his day by striking out Mount Carmel left fielder Walker McGinley for the first out.

He struck out 11, walked three and gave up just two hits.

“As soon as I went in, (Oliastro) told me I had a couple of pitches left and one more batter,” Hare said.

“Go in there and get an out. That is all he was worried about. I didn’t care if it was a strikeout or a ball caught at the fence. I just wanted to do my job there for my teammates.”

Garvin came on and recorded his second save in as many games. He struck out both batters he faced.

“Zach didn’t have his best stuff today,” Oliastro said. “I don’t know if the heat bothered him a little bit. But he had enough to get us to the seventh inning. Six full innings anyway, which is good.

“Hunter has always been solid as a relief pitcher, a one- or two-inning pitcher.”

Riverside squandered a prime scoring opportunity in the bottom of the second.

Hare walked and Lucarelli reached on a fielder’s choice to lead off the inning. Both advanced 90 feet on a passed ball.

However, Mount Carmel starter Lukas Carpenter beared down and induced Fox and Meyer into infield pop-ups before Barber grounded to second to end the Panthers’ threat.

The Panthers struck first just one inning later. Young walked, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Hayes, and scored on a double from Bowser.

Riverside added on in the bottom of the fourth. Meyer, who drove in two in the semifinal win over South Park, struck for a double with one out to plate Lucarelli.

Meyer was the last batter Carpenter faced. He exited after striking out one, walking three, and surrendering the two earned runs over 3⅓ innings of work.

Mt. Carmel, which wrapped up its season at 20-5, had won seven games in a row before Thursday’s loss.

The Red Tornadoes, in the PIAA playoffs for just the second time – they also qualified last year – were gunning for their first state championship in their first title-game appearance.

“They played us tough,” Oliastro said. “They were a good team. They didn’t make it easy. But nothing’s been easy for us all year. We’ve won a lot of one-run games. It’s a good team. A good bunch of kids.”

“This group, they made up their minds that they were going to win another WPIAL and state championship, and they stayed together. You’ve got to have three things. You have to have talent. We have talent, but that only takes you so far. You’ve got to have discipline. Discipline takes you a little further. If you have talent, discipline and leadership, you’re going to win big like we did today.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

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