STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Thursday's 3A Baseball State Championship saw the best from south-central Pennsylvania against a Western Pennsylvania squad with a perfect record.
Camp Hill hoped to be the first and only blemish on Riverside's record.
Pitcher Luke Parise has helped set the tone for the Lions all season, and that continued in the state title game.
The senior fanned three in the first two innings and made quick work of the Panthers.
The Lions had some early chances with runners on, including a bases load first inning, but it was bend and not break for Riverside as the game remained scoreless through the first three innings.
In the fourth, Riverside had a runner on, and the Panthers come up with a clutch piece of hitting to left field and were able to draw first blood and take the 1-0 lead.
"I felt like I had it through the first five or six innings and I just left a couple of pitches down, I left a couple of pitches up," recalled Parise. "I was getting a little wild and I wasn't making my best pitches."
Parise stayed in control, hoping the Lions' bats would warm up, but Riverside was the only team with runs left in the tank.
The Panthers tacked on three in the sixth, to edge Camp Hill and claim the 4-0 state title-clinching win.
"Even though that medal is silver and not gold, I'm not tangibly less proud than I would be if it was gold around their neck," said Camp Hill Coach Matt Spiegel.
"We wanted gold. We're allowed to be bummed," he continued. "No one is going to apologize for being bummed out. We have absolutely nothing to hand our heads over. They gave it their all today."
Camp Hill finishes its season with a 21-4-1 record.