Sunset Apollos overcome senior losses, slow start to put themselves in position for another Metro baseball title

After reaching the state championship game in 2024, Sunset started this season 1-4 … but that feels like ancient history now

Sunset junior Luke Sullivan and his Apollos teammates are all smiles after the team’s 10-0 win over Southridge on Tuesday. / Dan Brood

CEDAR MILL — It’s said that timing is everything.

The Sunset baseball team certainly hopes that is true — because the Apollos’ timing seems to be about perfect.

Sunset, after losing four of its first five games, has turned things around in a very big way, especially when it comes to Metro League play. The Apollos picked up their fifth win in their past six games and their fourth consecutive victory in Metro League action by powering their way to a 10-0, five-inning win over Southridge in a Metro League game played under sunny skies Tuesday at Sunset High School.

“The team is getting hot,” Sunset senior outfielder Gabe Coltman said. “We’re working together well. We’re excited to finish out the season and do some damage in the state playoffs.”

“We’re on a pretty good roll,” said Sunset senior pitcher Kruz Schoolcraft, who threw a one-hit shutout. “We’re all still trying to figure out our roles as individuals. I think it’s important that we keep going on this roll and playing for ourselves. We need to do whatever we need to do to win and have each other’s backs.”

Sunset senior Kruz Schoolcraft allowed one hit, struck out 13 and walked none in addition to hitting a two-run homer in the Apollos’ 10-0 win over Southridge. / Dan Brood

The Apollos are coming off a 2024 season in which they went 28-3 and reach the 6A state championship game, where they fell to West Linn. Sunset lost seven key seniors from that squad.

“It’s a brand-new team this year,” Sunset junior shortstop Luke Sullivan said. “We had some guys stay and we’ve had some new guys who have stepped up pretty well. We’re still trying to find our best baseball. But like Coach (John) Barnes says, ‘Best baseball is when best baseball is needed,’ and that’s the playoffs.”

“This team is completely different from last year,” Schoolcraft said. “We’re just finding out what our team chemistry is. And this is a good time to start getting hot.”

Sunset opened the 2025 season with a spring-break trip to the Phoenix, Ariz., area to play in the Coach Bob Invitational. The Apollos, playing Arizona squads such as Valley Christian, Basha and Mt. Ridge, lost their first three games and went 1-3 during the trip.

“We came back from Arizona kind of disappointed because we didn’t do what we wanted to do,” Sunset senior catcher Kyle Gresham said. “But we learned a lot from that experience, and it’s carried over. Right now, things are good.”

Apollos sophomore Koen Hall steals second base as Southridge junior shortstop Jackson Cobb awaits the ball in Tuesday’s Metro League game. / Dan Brood

After returning from Arizona, Sunset lost its first game back in Oregon, falling 6-4 at home to Ridgeview in a nonleague contest. But then things turned around — in a hurry.

In their next game, the Apollos bested Canby 6-1, with junior Parker Raubuch getting the complete-game win and with Schoolcraft hitting a home run.

Then came a Metro League-opening three-game series with Aloha. That’s where the Apollos really caught fire.

Sunset won the first game of the series 1-0. Schoolcraft pitched five no-hit innings, striking out 14, and senior Gavin Riley had a walk-off RBI single in the seventh inning. The Apollos triumphed 3-2 on the road in the second game of the series, with Coltman having a two-run double in Sunset’s three-run seventh inning.

Sunset claimed the third game of the series 10-0 in five innings. Sophomore Ryan Gresham threw all five innings, and Schoolcraft belted a three-run homer.

The 3-0 start to Metro play was especially significant to Sunset because, right now, the Apollos’ main goal is Metro League supremacy.

“We want to win the Metro,” Coltman said. “We’re taking it a single game at the time, looking to win the Metro. We’re taking it one inning at a time.”

“We just want to get through Metro,” Sullivan said. “We just want to take it one inning at a time and go from there.”

Sunset junior Luke Sullivan puts down a bunt single in the first inning of Tuesday’s game. Sullivan had three hits in the 10-0 win over Southridge. / Dan Brood

“Right now, the goal is to just look straight ahead of us. We’re not looking at the playoffs at all right now,” Kyle Gresham said. “It’s just Metro, but really, right now, it’s just Southridge. And after Southridge, it’s just Jesuit. Then it’s who’s next.”

Sunset kept rolling in Tuesday’s league series opener with Southridge — in fact, the Apollos might have even turned things up a notch.

“It went great,” Coltman said. “The offense was great; the bats were hot. Kruz pitched really well. He got a lot of strikeouts, no runs, one hit. It was a good game. The team did well.”

Maybe the most impressive thing about Sunset’s win was Schoolcraft’s performance on the mound. The 6-foot-8 left-hander gave up one hit, struck out 13 and walked none in five innings.

Sunset freshman second baseman Marcus Pollard catches a pop-up in the fourth inning of Tuesday’s Metro League game between the Apollos and Southridge. / Dan Brood

“He was looking good,” said Kyle Gresham, who caught Schoolcraft. “He carved today. It’s good to see. He works so hard.”

“I felt like it went well,” Schoolcraft said. “I didn’t feel my best. My velo (velocity) wasn’t as good as I wish it was. But I worked through it and did a good job competing.”

The Apollos also had their bats working, right from the start.

Schoolcraft, batting in the leadoff spot, drew a walk in a long at-bat to start the bottom of the first inning. Sullivan followed with a bunt single. Coltman smacked a first-pitch single to center field, driving in courtesy runner Jonah Lee to give the Apollos a quick 1-0 lead.

Sunset senior Gabe Coltman smacks an RBI single in the first inning of the Apollos’ 10-0 win over Southridge. / Dan Brood

Sullivan scored from third on a balk, and Coltman scored on a sacrifice fly by senior Max Waldrip to increase the Apollos’ lead to 3-0 going to the second inning.

In the second, Sunset got a two-run homer by Schoolcraft and back-to-back doubles by Sullivan and Coltman followed by an RBI single by Riley, pushing the Apollos’ lead to 7-0.

Sunset got an unearned run in the bottom of the third and wrapped up the victory with two more runs in the bottom of the fifth, capping things with Sullivan’s RBI single that made the final score 10-0.

“It went well. Kruz pitched a great game,” Sullivan said. “We had a lot of timely hits and a lot of energy from the start. It was good. Hopefully we can continue this the rest of the season.”

Sunset had nine hits. Sullivan went 3 for 4 with a double, two stolen bases, two runs and an RBI. Coltman also had a big game, going 3 for 3 with a double, a stolen base, two runs and two RBIs.

“The team hit well. It wasn’t just me,” Coltman said. “It was good to score a lot of runs. The hitting was contagious.”

Sunset senior Gabe Coltman signals back to the Apollos dugout after his second-inning double. Coltman had three hits in the 10-0 win against Southridge. / Dan Brood

Sunset improved to 4-0 in Metro League play (6-5 overall), putting the Apollos alone atop the league standings.

As impressive as the win was, maybe the most important thing for the Apollos is that the victory shows they’re on the right path — the path they want to take.

“Right now, it’s been good,” Kyle Gresham said. “It’s been our team chemistry and knowing what gets us going. The bond between all of us has really helped.”

“We’re finally coming together,” Schoolcraft said. “It was a little rocky earlier in the year, but we played some good teams and we learned from that.”

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