They say nobody’s perfect, but Riverside senior Zach Hare is pushing that theory to its limits every time he takes the hill.

Already in the midst of one of the most prolific playoff stretches by any pitcher in WPIAL history, Hare raised the bar to unprecedented heights in Wednesday’s WPIAL Class 3A championship game against Quaker Valley (15-6). Having pitched 17⅓ innings this postseason without allowing a hit going into Wednesday’s game, Hare fired a perfect game with 15 strikeouts to propel the Panthers (17-2) to their second WPIAL title in the past three seasons with an unforgettable 1-0 victory at EQT Park in Washington.

“It’s unbelievable. Especially going on that streak,” Hare said. “Just having trust in my fielders and my catcher — me and Sean [Hayes] have that great bond. He’s been catching me since I was like 10. … Knowing my team has my back, it makes things like that possible.

“It’s our senior year, so it’s all or nothing. Just trying to go home with the gold — it meant the world to us.”

A 6-foot-3 right-hander with a low-90s fastball, lethal curveball and pinpoint accuracy with each of his pitches, Hare started his playoff run with 5⅓ no-hit innings in a 4-3 win against Shady Side Academy in the opening round, followed by five more innings without allowing a hit in Riverside’s 11-0 mercy-rule victory over Burrell in the quarterfinals. The Slippery Rock recruit then pitched the first seven innings of a dramatic 1-0 win in 12 innings against South Park in the semifinal round.

Yet somehow, someway, the Panthers’ flame-throwing phenom with the undeniable flair for the dramatic found a way to outdo himself once again, delivering a once-in-a-lifetime outing that will surely go down as one of the greatest championship performances in WPIAL history.

“It’s amazing. It’s almost supernatural,” said legendary Riverside coach Dan Oliastro, who became the first coach in WPIAL history to win seven WPIAL titles in his 57th year at the helm. “My only concern tonight was if a kid got a base hit, how would it affect his mental game? But he took care of it.”

Although this is the Panthers’ third consecutive year playing in the WPIAL final, this was Hare’s first time starting in the championship game. They have another prized prospect in senior pitcher Christian Lucarelli, a Duke recruit who started the past two WPIAL title games but has dealt with arm soreness for the latter half of the season.

Lucarelli hopes to return to the mound Monday for the first round of the PIAA tournament — and Hare could surely use a well-deserved rest. But for legendary Riverside coach Dan Oliastro, when it comes to choosing which of his bona fide aces to hand the ball to, there really are no wrong answers.

“I talk with these pitchers all the time,” Oliastro said. “If you don’t know your players, you can’t make the right decisions. … [Lucarelli] should be ready Monday. He’ll be pumped.”

Riverside coach Dan Oliastro pats the cheek of star senior Christian Lucarelli after a 1-0 win against Quaker Valley in the WPIAL Class 3A championship on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, at EQT Park in Washington. (Emily Matthews/Pittsburgh Union Progress)

Senior right-hander Nolan Wagoner put up a fantastic effort for the Quakers in the defeat, starting the game with 4⅔ scoreless innings while giving up just three hits and striking out five. But he was unable to match Hare’s flawless performance on the other side — then again, who could?

“[Wagoner] has been unbelievable,” said Quaker Valley coach Rich Garbee. “He’s been a really consistent pitcher. He doesn’t throw 90. He throws in the high-70s range, but he throws strikes. When you throw strikes, you get people out. We preach, throw strikes. If you can throw strikes, I don’t care how fast you throw, you’ll pitch for me.”

In a game that saw zero extra-base hits and masterful pitching on both sides, there was zero margin for error — and the pressure only continued to mount as the innings went on. In the top of the sixth, Hare fired an immaculate inning, striking out the side on nine pitches in a display of pure dominance.

Finally, in the bottom of the sixth inning, it was Lucarelli who singled and scored on an infield hit by speedy outfielder Jackson Barber to put the game’s first and only run on the board.

“It was incredible. There’s no feeling like it,” Lucarelli said. “Being the first run of the game — the only run — it was a good way to get the crowd going and get the energy flowing. Because it seemed kind of dead for the first part of the game, and it really started getting everyone going.”

Riverside’s Zach Hare pitched a perfect game with 15 strikeouts in a 1-0 win against Quaker Valley in the WPIAL Class 3A championship on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, at EQT Park in Washington. (Emily Matthews/Pittsburgh Union Progress)

That left it all on the sturdy shoulders of Hare — and who else would you rather have on the mound in that situation?

Entering the top of the seventh with only 69 pitches thrown, Hare induced a flyout followed by a pair of game-ending strikeouts to put the finishing touches on his championship masterclass. But even after securing their second WPIAL title in three years, the Panthers aren’t done yet. Remember, they are only two years removed from becoming the first team in WPIAL history to win a state title with an undefeated record — and you can bet Hare, Lucarelli and the rest of the seniors have their eyes on one final prize before their high school careers come to a close.

Good luck stopping them.

“This is a different group,” Oliastro said. “Every group has its own personality. This group decided last year — after that 14-inning loss to Avonworth [in the WPIAL championship game] — they decided we were getting a home game for states.”

Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.

Steve Rotstein

Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.