ROBINSON TWP — Riverside High baseball coach Dan Oliastro has seen many good pitchers oppose his team throughout his four decades with the Panthers.

Even this season, Oliastro, a 1965 Slippery Rock University graduate who has amassed more than 500 wins as a high school baseball coach, has seen some tough arms on the way to a WPIAL Class AA title.

Count Karns City sophomore pitcher Derek Sadowski among them.

“How many strikeouts did he have?” Oliastro asked. “Nine? Ten? We haven't struck out that many times against anyone this season.”

Sadowski was dominant, even without a reliable curveball. Sadowski struck out 10 and gave up five hits in seven innings of work, but he surrendered one lone run — the only one Riverside needed — in a 1-0 loss to the Panthers in the first round of the PIAA Class AA playoffs at the Burkett Baseball Complex Monday afternoon.

“I don't want to think about what he could have done against us if he got his curveball over,” Oliastro said. “He's a good pitcher. They gave us all we could handle.”

Riverside's hurler was a little better. Rob Hardy tossed a two-hitter, striking out 11.

“He struggled in his last start and we spent some time on his mechanics,” Oliastro said of Hardy. “He pitched well.”

Sadowski and Hardy, both hard-throwing right-handers, dueled for five scoreless innings.

Riverside (17-5) was able to get to Sadowski a few times, loading the bases in the second inning and getting two runners on base in the fourth and fifth frames, but Sadowski got out of all three predicaments with no damage.

The Panthers, though, struck for their lone run in the sixth. After a strikeout, Jake Thellman walked and scored from first on a double by Sean Strosnider.

Four of Riverside's five hits were doubles.

“They're a great hitting team and no one struck them out like Derek did today,” said Karns City coach Randy Collins. “To put 10 (strikeouts) up on the WPIAL champs, as a sophomore ... and we have him coming back next year.”

Karns City (15-3) had two chances to break through against Hardy.

The Gremlins loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth inning with two outs, but Brandyn Bowser hit a line drive that was snagged by Riverside center fielder Reese Howells to end the inning.

In the bottom of the seventh, Sadowski beat out an infield single with one out, moved to second on a passed ball and to third on a wild pitch.

Riverside brought the infield in, but Hardy got two strikeouts to end the game.

Despite the loss, Karns City left with a sense of accomplishment.

“The whole year we were cut down,” Collins said. “(Sadowski) barely made KSAC all-conference. We just kept fighting back. That's what we do.”

Collins, who took over the program this season, hopes this will be a launching pad for the future.

The Gremlins were making their first PIAA baseball tournament appearance since 1996.

“Next year, we're going to have two key pitchers coming back,” Collins said. “Pitching wins games. You saw that today.”

Collins also said this kind of performance will do wonders for Sadowski, who he trusted to call his own pitches in tandem with Barney, a senior catcher, this season.

“Sadowski is going to be amazing next year,” Collins said. “We're looking for big things from him.”

Riverside 000 001 0 — 1 5 0Karns City 000 000 0 — 0 2 0W: Rob Hardy 7 IP (11 K, 3 BB).

L: Derek Sadowski 7 IP (10 K, 5 BB).

Riverside (17-5): Kenny Wiley 2-2B, Tyler Faulk 2B, Hardy 1B, Sean Strosnider 2B RBI

Karns City (15-3): Zach Barney 1B, Sadowski 1B