There wasn’t a more fitting end for Sunset High School baseball.

Leading the 6A state title game 6-5 against Grant in the bottom of the seventh, senior Kruz Schoolcraft was heading to the mound in relief to try and close it out.

Grant’s Grant Snidow led off with a single, but Schoolcraft fooled him on a pickoff attempt, getting the first out.

After that it was a strikeout and a groundout, sending the ensuing mob to the mound to dog pile on Schoolcraft and celebrate the Apollos’ first state baseball title since 1994.

“It’s a little better than I thought it would be,” Schoolcraft said of how he felt winning the state title. “We worked hard for this, after not winning last year, it set a fire in our hearts.”

Sunset looked like the more comfortable team to start, as seen by Schoolcraft knocking the first pitch of the game to centerfield for a double.

Luke Sullivan followed with a single and Gabriel Coltman singled to left to bring home Schoolcraft and make it 1-0 without an out being recorded.

“It takes a little bit of pressure off the pitcher, and when we’ve done that we’ve done pretty well all year,” Sunset head coach John Barnes said. “I knew that wasn’t going to be enough, (Grant) is a heck of a baseball team and they gave us everything.”

Grant starting pitcher Cooper Yudhishthu, the PIL Pitcher of the Year, wouldn’t go out that easily as he sat the next three batters down to get out of the frame with limited damage.

Sunset’s Parker Raubuch was the starter on the bump, a year after he started the state title game in 2024 where the Apollos lost to West Linn.

“After (Schoolcraft) threw (in the semifinals) against McMinnville, I knew I was getting the ball,” Raubuch said. “Last year, I don’t think I mentally prepared myself for the crowd. I got the picture of what the environment would look like. … I was mentally prepared (this time), got to my spot in my head and it felt good.”

The Generals were able to put runners on second and third in the first, but a groundout ended the threat and kept Sunset ahead.

The second and third inning didn’t see much action besides intentional walks to Schoolcraft and Grant’s Kaeden Cruse, the state 6A Player of the Year.

In the bottom of the fourth, Grant made its move with Snidow reaching on an error to open the frame.

Two batters later, Tre Hoffert lined a single to center that hopped over the Apollos’ centerfielder’s head and back to the wall, allowing Snidow to score and putting Hoffert on third.

Rafferty Cruikshank was up next and he grounded to third to score Hoffert, and reached first on another error, giving Grant the 2-1 lead after four.

Sunset wasn’t defeated though and came right back swinging.

Schoolcraft walked and Sullivan reached on an error with one out to put runners on. Coltman then lined a curving ball to right field that rolled to the wall, giving him a two RBI double and he advanced to third on the throw home.

“I love playing against Grant, I have a good history against them, it felt good to perform against them,” Coltman, who used to play at Lincoln, said. “(Sunset) welcomed me with open arms, I knew a lot of them from club baseball. I was close friends with a lot of them, so it felt like home as soon as I got on campus.”

Dakota Chun quickly followed it with a single to make it 4-2 Apollos. Cole Sauter was next and hit a ground-rule double to left field, and Gavin Riley singled to right to score both runners and make it 6-2.

Grant went down in order in the bottom half of the fifth, keeping the momentum squarely in Sunset’s hands.

“This team is great at hitting, 1-9,” Raubuch said. “When we went up 6-2, confidence just increased in this team even more, and it was just a great and amazing feeling.”

Grant kept the Apollos off the board in the sixth, but only had a runner on first with two outs in the sixth.

Cruikshank was patient and got walked, then Martin Elardo singled to left to load the bases with two outs.

Chun came in to pitch, but Grant senior catcher Brady McCarthy had an infield single between third and shortstop to plate a run.

An error at second base off the bat of Raiton kept runners safe and scored one more, making it 6-4 Apollos.

Up next was Cruse, who worked the count to 2-2 but was hit by the sixth pitch, bringing home another run and putting the tying run 90 feet away.

However, Diego Martinez Griffin flew out to left to end the rally.

Then, it was Enter Sandman. Or in this case, enter Schoolcraft.

“So much confidence in (Schoolcraft), I knew I was going to first base and I was like, ‘He’s got this,’” Raubuch said. “After the first two outs, I was like, ‘We got this, we’re winning this,’ and it was just a great feeling.”

Coltman, a former Lincoln Cardinal, was named the player of the game thanks to his 2-for-4, three RBI day. Raubuch went 5.2 innings with five runs allowed, two earned, on five hits with three strikeouts and three walks.

McCarthy led the way for Grant with a 2-for-4 day and a RBI. Yudhishthu went five innings, giving up six runs, five earned, on seven hits with three strikeouts and four walks.

“Great atmosphere, the kids competed their hearts out and you got to tip your hat to Sunset, they played really well today and they’re a great ball club,” Grant head coach Matt Kabza said. “I couldn’t be more proud of (my team). They were ready, they’ve embraced the journey this playoff run whole-heartedly. I think that’s something they’ll be to carry with them when they’re done playing ball.”

Schoolcraft, who is projected to be a first-round pick in the upcoming MLB Draft, getting the state title in his last season and after losing last year was the icing on what’s already been a stellar prep career.

“We really don’t care who’s on the other side,” Schoolcraft said. “If you would have asked me two weeks ago if we would have been here, I probably would have said no. But I think that everything happens for a reason and we did a great job today.”

The Apollos got the job done in close games through the postseason, defeating Nelson 3-0 in round one, beating Clackamas 3-1 in round two, beating Central Catholic 6-4 in the quarterfinals and downing McMinnville 5-1 in the semifinals.

It was a composed group that never let the moment get too big.

“At practice, we’re like a brotherhood of a team and confidence in everyone no matter who’s hitting, who’s pitching,” Raubuch said. “I love this team.”

It’s no longer a drought for the Sunset baseball program, who Barnes believes has built a culture that can’t be matched.

With the blue trophy in his hands walking off the field, it’s hard to argue.

“We had a bunch of former players (in the stands), those players started building the culture we have today,” Barnes said. “Culture is not an overused word. If you have a good culture, you have a chance to be really special, and that’s what we have.”