Panthers Fall To Punxsutawney In Opening Round Of PIAA Playoffs

The Riverside Panthers fell to Punxsutawney 3-0 Monday afternoon in the first round of the PIAA Playoffs.

Parker Stahlman twirled a complete-game four hitter to stymie the Panthers offense and bounced the defending PIAA champions from the 2024 tournament.

The sophomore hurler struck out eight and did not issue a walk in his performance that pitted two teams who had squared off just last June in the PIAA semifinals.  Riverside rallied late to knocked off Punxsutawney on its way to its 2023 PIAA Championship.

However, Monday afternoon in Dubois, PA, the Panthers fell behind early and could not recover.

The District-9 Champion Chucks scored two runs in the bottom of the first by way of an RBI-double and a dropped third strike and added another in the second inning on an RBI-single to jump ahead early.

Stahlman limited to Panthers offense to three singles and a lone extra base hit by Zach Hare.  Riverside had baserunners in the fifth and sixth inning and a lead off double by Hare in the seventh, but could not push across a run.

Hare took the loss for Riverside on the mound, allowing two earned runs in two innings of work. Hare struck out three and issued three walks before giving way to Christian Lucarelli.  Lucarelli tossed four innings of scoreless relief, striking out eight Chucks and allowing only one walk.

Riverside finishes its 2024 campaign with a 16-3 record. The Panthers final loss of 2024 caps a 41-3 record since the start of 2023.