Riverside’s Zack Hare no-hits Burrell as 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.
It takes more than rain to mess up Riverside’s Hare.
Senior right-hander Zack Hare ignored the dismal weather and threw a no-hitter with 12 strikeouts Tuesday night as top-seeded Riverside defeated No. 8 Burrell, 11-0, in a WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinal at North Allegheny. The game ended under the 10-run rule when Hunter Garvin hit a walk-off grand slam in the fifth inning.
Riverside certainly looked like a No. 1 seed, starting with Hare, a hard-throwing Slippery Rock recruit who allowed just two walks. Only twice 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.”
Riverside advanced to face No. 4 Waynesburg or No. 5 South Park in a semifinal at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Plum.
Hare, who entered with a 1.09 ERA, improved to 8-0. He had three strikeouts apiece in the second, third and fourth innings, upping his season total to 101 in 50 innings.
“They’re not a bad team,” Riverside coach Dan Oliastro said of Burrell. “He was just really good.”
Hare threw 80 pitches, and most were sharp despite the rain.
“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 had three pitchers battle through the rain.
Senior starter Stephen Hasson went 3 2/3 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 in the fifth inning capped a six-run outburst for Riverside that started with a home run by Drake Fox. Dylan Meyer also tripled in the final inning.
The Panthers had six extra-base hits in all, including two triples by Meyer. The wet grass made cutting off rolling balls very tricky 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.
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 had a hell of a year this year, but 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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