Grant Baseball Advances to First State Championship Since 1958 After Semifinal Win Over Jesuit

The No. 9-seeded Generals continue their Cinderella run behind family chemistry, clutch pitching and the power of Kaeden Cruse.

Grant junior Elliot Raiton points back at senior Kaeden Cruse, who is rounding the bases after his second home run in the Generals’ 8-2 semifinal victory at Jesuit. / Dan Brood

Grant Makes History in Semifinal Stunner

PORTLAND, OREGON – Brady McCarthy was smiling.

The Grant High School senior, a standout catcher for the Generals baseball team, was still wearing his shin guards as he was talking with friends and family.

He was eating a hot dog with ketchup on it, and, behind him, the large group of blue-clad Grant fans were still celebrating. And, the ones that had already left Jesuit High School likely left smiling.

Not long before that, the Generals squad scored one of the biggest victories in Grant baseball history, posting an 8-2 win over the Crusaders in a Class 6A state playoff semifinal played in front of a huge crowd at Jesuit High School.

A good part of that enormous crowd was wearing blue in support of the Grant squad. Blue flooded the stands, it covered a hilly grass area behind the Generals’ first base dugout, the blue even overflowed in the parking lot, as the Generals fans were going everywhere they could to bet a glimpse of the action.

That was one of the reasons McCarthy was smiling as he was eating his ketchup-covered hot dog.

One Community, One Team

“Everyone is out here to support us. That’s really what matters,” McCarthy said. “It’s that we’re just one community. We’re just all connected, and it’s so fun to watch and be a part of. It’s the best.”

First Title Game Appearance Since 1958

That one community, the blue-clad community, will get another chance to cheer on the Generals, as, with the win over Jesuit, Grant will be playing in the Class 6A state championship game for the first time since 1958.

The Generals, who scored an 11-6, six-inning win over Lincoln in that 1958 “A” state championship contest, will face Sunset in the 2025 title contest, to be played Saturday at Roto-Rooter Park (formerly Volcanoes Stadium) in Keizer, starting at 12:30 p.m.

“It’s just unreal,” said Grant junior Jinki Tomita, who was the winning pitcher in the semifinal victory against Jesuit. “We’re really excited for it. We can’t wait.”

Grant, the No. 9 seed going into the state playoffs, will bring a record of 22-7 into Saturday’s championship contest. But, at this point, the records don’t seem to matter to the Generals.

“Our slogan all year has been, ‘why not us?’” Grant junior Elliot Raiton said. “We like playing as the underdog, with nothing to lose, and just trying to do it for the team.”

The Generals’ momentum seemed to really pick up at the end of the regular season, when they swept Wells in a two-game series to clinch the Portland Interscholastic League title – the City Championship – for the first time since 2022.

Playoff Run Fueled by Underdog Energy

Grant, which was unranked in the final Class 6A coaches poll of the season, opened the state playoffs with a 6-0 win over Forest Grove in a first round game played at Grant High School. The Generals got home runs from sophomore Grant Snidow, Raiton, senior Diego Martinez Griffin and senior Tre Hoffert in that win, where senior pitcher Cooper Yudhishthu, the probable starter in Saturday’s title tilt, threw six shutout innings, allowing three hits while striking out eight and walking one.

Grant senior Diego Martinez Griffin is all smiles as he celebrates with his Generals teammates following their 8-2 state playoff semifinal win at Jesuit. / Dan Brood

The Generals then got a 4-3 second round victory at Roseburg, with Raiton doubling in the winning run in the top of the seventh.

Cruse Ignites Offense, Yudhishthu Anchors Mound

That sent Grant to the quarterfinals, where you couldn’t really blame anyone for thinking that was where the Generals’ feel-good season was destined to end. After all, Grant had to travel to face top-ranked, and unbeaten, South Salem, which brought a 29-0 record into the contest.

But Grant had other ideas. Senior Kaeden Cruse homered and drove in six runs while Yudhishthu tossed five more shutout innings for the Generals, who cruised to a 12-0 win over the No. 1-seeded Saxons.

‘We’re a Family’: The Generals' Mindset

“We were excited. We had nothing to lose,” McCarthy said. “We were the No. 9 seed. Playing South Salem, a top-30 team in the country, we had nothing to lose there. So we came free, beat them, and it was the same thing here.”

That certainly seemed to be the case in the semifinal win at Jesuit. Even after falling behind 2-0 to the Crusaders, the loose-playing Generals responded with eight straight runs, with Cruse having two home runs and five RBIs, to get the semifinal victory.

But, to be specific, it wasn’t a win for the Grant team – it was for the family.

“It’s great. We don’t really call ourselves a team, we call ourselves a family,” Cruse said. “Everyone has been here two or three years now. Some of us have been playing together since we were really young. It’s kind of a great family that we’ve developed here, and I can’t wait to create more memories.”

McCarthy agrees.

“We’re a family, so everyone is doing it for each other,” he said. “No one’s selfish. This just means the world to us.”

Now, that family – the Grant family – is looking forward to the chance to win its first state baseball championship since 1958.

“I’m absolutely looking forward to it,” Raiton said of Saturday’s title game. “I think it’s not going to take anything different. Our team’s been doing the same thing every time. We practice the same, we play the same. We want to stay within ourselves and stick with our identity, and then we should have a really good chance.”

“There’s no nervousness, it’s just go out, have fun,” McCarthy said. “We just did that, and you saw what happened today.”

“Honestly, it’s going to take the same thing that it took to get past this game. Just be happy, comfortable and just have good vibes. Just have fun, that’s what baseball’s all about,” Cruse said. “It’s exciting, and it’s a rare moment, especially for young kids like us. I’m excited that it’s happening with our group, because our group is special, and we hope we can make more memories on Saturday.”

Sunset Brings Championship Experience

Sunset, the No. 11 seed, led by Oregon’s Gatorade State Player of the Year Kruz Schoolcraft, brings a 21-9 record into Saturday’s game. The Apollos played in last year’s Class 6A state championship game, falling 8-4 to West Linn. Sunset’s last state championship came in 1994, when the Apollos defeated North Medford 8-2 in the finals.