STATE COLLEGE – Dan Oliastro doesn’t come to State College to lose.
The longtime Riverside Head Coach, who has been leading the program since 1969, improved to 6-0 in PIAA State Championship games. He has more titles than any other program in the state of Pennsylvania by himself.
The Panthers used 6.1 strong innings from Zach Hare paired with back-to-back squeeze bunts in the bottom of the sixth to take down Mount Carmel Area by a 4-2 final score to bring home their second title in three years.
The first two innings of this game went by quickly as both Hare and Mount Carmel starter Lukas Carpenter were both sharp.
Both of these guys came into this one strong, but Hare had been historically good. He had not allowed a single hit through 34 postseason innings, which is believed to be the longest streak in US High School Baseball history in the postseason.
That streak finally came to an end in the third when Brayden Brinkash looped a single into left center field, but Hare quickly picked up another strikeout to erase the threat.
Riverside finally broke through in the bottom of the third. Logan Young walked and Sean Hayes got down a sac bunt to move him over. That put a runner in scoring position for John Bowser, who delivered as he smacked an RBI double to right center field to get the first run of the game.
After another clean inning from Hare, Riverside added another onto their lead. After a walk from Christian Lucarelli and a Brayden Fox sac bunt, Dylan Meyer came through with an RBI double of his own to left center to double their lead to 2-0.
This game truly felt like it was over despite the score being just 2-0. Zach Hare had been so dominant this postseason that a two run lead felt like two hundred.
Mount Carmel wasn’t ready to make it that easy for them.
John Morgante singled with one out and advanced all the way to third on an errant pickoff throw. Drew Yagodzinskie was hit by a pitch after that putting runners on first and second.
The starting pitcher Lukas Carpenter came up to the plate, and he didn’t put much on it but it was enough to score Jon Morgante on a fielder’s choice and the throw getting away allowed both runners to move up to second and third.
Just like that, it was 2-1 with two runners in scoring position after no signs of life offensively all day.
Gabe Yuskowski followed that up by tying the game up with a lazy fly ball to center field that was plenty deep to score Logan Pizzoli, and we were all squared up at 2-2.
Whether or not this is Riverside Head Coach Dan Oliastro’s last game is to be determined, but if this is it for the 81-year-old, this sixth inning is a great way to write his final chapter.
Christian Lucarelli led off the inning with a walk. Drake Fox then got down his second successful bunt of the day, this one being perfectly placed to the point that he got a single out of it. Next up was Dylan Meyer, who hit a ground ball up the middle that was misplayed, loading up the bases with nobody out for Jackson Barber.
Usually in this spot, you are looking for your guy to put one in the gap and clear the bases. With Riverside struggling to get the bats going, Coach Oliastro had something else in mind.
A squeeze bunt.
Jackson Barber laid down a safety squeeze with no outs and the bases loaded and worked beautifully, with Christian Lucarelli scoring and all runners advancing safely.
Coach Oliastro liked how that went so much that he decided to try it again, this time it was Logan Young and this time it was a suicide squeeze, with Drake Fox getting a great jump and scoring easily to extend the lead to 4-2.
“We bunt every day, every single day. I just figured that we didn’t hit – not sure we had more than five hits – we weren’t hitting and I knew we could do that,” said Oliastro. “We did two in a row and I was going to do the next one too as well because they are all good bunters. Bunting is something that is expected in high school, it’s how you score runs. You don’t score runs on home runs.”
Noah Shimko did a good job in relief to keep it to just 4-2, but the damage was already done.
With Zach Hare running low on pitches, he was able to retire the first out in the inning before he gave way to Hunter Garvin. The lefty picked up a strikeout looking against the first batter he faced, and for his second act, it was the same as the first as he struck out Brayden Brinkash to cause the Riverside dugout to storm the field for another state title.
“Zach didn’t have his best stuff today, I don’t know if the heat bothered him a little bit but he had enough to get us into the seventh inning,” said Oliastro. “Then Hunter came in, Hunter’s always been solid as a relief pitcher. I have been blessed, I have been really blessed with great players and great coaches and great parents.”
Oliastro stresses his three main characteristics that a team needs to be successful which is talent, discipline and leadership. All three were on full display today.
Most 81 year olds would pass out after being in the hot June sun today after five minutes. Dan Oliastro on the other hand is just winning another state title.
“I don’t ever get tired of winning, I’m still like a little kid,” said Oliastro. “If I play you in checkers I’m going to beat you. I’ll be nice to you, but I’m going to beat you.”
Photo: Riverside Head Coach Dan Oliastro doing his signature “cheek tap” with senior outfielder Gavin Coyne following Riverside’s 4-2 3A title win over Mount Carmel
