Sunset Wins First Oregon Baseball Title Since 1994 in Thrilling State Final

Parker Raubuch redeems 2024 title loss with gutsy start as Apollos edge Grant 6-5 in Class 6A championship at Roto-Rooter Park

Sunset catcher Kyle Gresham (13) hugs pitcher Kruz Schoolcraft as other Apollos, including Parker Raubuch (10), Luke Sullivan (7) and Marcus Pollard (4) rush in following the final out in Sunset’s 6-5 win over Grant in the Class 6A state championship game. / Dan Brood

KEIZER, OREGON – To say that Parker Raubuch and his Sunset High School teammates had a good day may be an understatement – an absolutely huge understatement.

Redemption and Resilience: Raubuch Leads the Way

Raubuch, a junior pitcher for the Apollos’ baseball team, got some big-time redemption on the mound, he got to catch the ball for the final out and he got to sign many, many autographs from adoring young baseball players.

Sunset junior pitcher Parker Raubuch fires a pitch to the plate in the Apollos’ 6-5 win over Grant in the Class 6A state title contest. / Dan Brood

Oh yeah, one more thing, Raubuch and the Sunset squad got to celebrate a long-awaited state championship.

The Apollos, with Raubuch turning in a gutsy effort on the mound after getting the starting nod, along with plenty of other heroics from various players, fought off a relentless Grant squad to get a 6-5 win over the Generals in a thrilling Class 6A state championship game, played under sunny skies at Roto-Rooter Park.

The Heart of the Team: Player Reflections

“It means everything,” an overwhelmed Raubuch said following the Apollos’ victory celebration. “From the last game of last year (an 8-4 loss to West Linn in the 2024 state title tilt), and then coming back and winning the championship, it just means everything. I just love this team.”

“Oh, it means so much. It means the world,” said Sunset senior outfielder Gabe Coltman, who smacked a go-ahead two-run double in the top of the fifth inning for the Apollos. “Ever since the season started, this has been our goal. Ever since we started practicing, this has been what we’ve been dreaming of, what we’ve been working for.”

“It means a ton,” said Sunset senior Gavin Riley, who had a two-run single in the Apollos’ five-run fifth inning. “The work we put in during the offseason paid off. The team before us, we have to thank them for putting in the culture, putting in the work. They really set the foundation for us to win this year.”

With the victory, Sunset finished the season at 22-9 while winning its first state championship since 1994.

From Arizona to Glory: Sunset’s Journey

“You know, we really didn’t start off too hot, but it’s all about resilience. Our coach, (assistant) coach (Kevin) Lovings, he talked about being a bumble bee, and that’s so powerful, because they’re resilient. They’re not supposed to fly, but they do, and that’s like our team. Everyone thinks that we’re not supposed to win, but we did it,” Riley said. “We didn’t really think about this. We just thought about each game. We also had another saying, from (head) coach (John) Barnes, he said, ‘create your own tomorrow.’ And, every day, we just created our own tomorrow, and we got here.”

“From the beginning, when we went down to Arizona to play our first games, it was rough. We went 1-3, but this coaching staff, and everyone on this team, has confidence, and it’s great,” Raubuch said.

Raubuch, a right-hander, started on the mound for the Apollos in the state title contest for the second straight year. Last year, in the loss to West Linn, he didn’t make it through two innings, giving up eight runs.

“Last year, I think I was a little bit overwhelmed, with the crowd from West Linn, but I think I just locked down today,” Raubuch said. “I found my breath, I found my spot. It worked out.”

It certainly seemed to, and Raubuch certainly seemed grateful to get another chance to start in the biggest game of the season.

“Starting this game, after last year, just shows the confidence that the coaching staff has in me, and the confidence the team has,” Raubuch said. “It was amazing. I really appreciate this team.”

On Saturday, Raubuch threw five and two-thirds innings for the Apollos, allowing one earned run while striking out three and walking three in recording the win.

“I’m just taking in all of the emotions right now,” Raubuch said. “It’s just a great feeling, especially coming back from last year.”

Sunset, on Saturday, took a 1-0 lead before a single out was recorded. Senior Kruz Schoolcraft led off the top of the first for the Apollos with a double to center field. He moved to third on a single by Luke Sullivan and then scored on a single by Coltman, giving the Apollos their quick advantage.

The score was still 1-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning, when Grant came storming back. Generals’ sophomore Grant Snidow reached first on a Sunset error to lead off the frame. Out out later, senior Tre Hoffert tripled to center field, plating Snidow to tie the game. Hoffert then scored on another Apollo error, giving Grant a 2-1 lead at the end of the inning.

That just seemed to fire up the Apollos.

“We just had to compete,” Riley said. “Keep competing, that’s the name of the game. It was only the fourth inning. There was tons of time to get back in it. And that’s what we did.”

“I had every bit of confidence in this team, in this lineup,” Raubuch said. “Everyone, one-through-nine, can hit. Anyone who is pitching, I know we can take over. It’s a great feeling.”

“I was thinking, ‘we have to punch back,’” Coltman said. “I was just licking my chops for my next at-bat.”

Well, he got his chance, and Coltman made the most of it.

Fifth-Inning Explosion Propels Apollos

With Schoolcraft on second and Sullivan on first with one out in the top of the fifth, Coltman ripped a double to the fence in right field, driving in both Schoolcraft and Sullivan to give Sunset a 3-2 lead.

Sunset junior Luke Sullivan (left) dives safely to home plate for a fifth-inning run in the Apollos’ 6-5 win over Grant in the Class 6A state title tilt. / Dan Brood

“It’s a little bit blurry, but it (the pitch count) got to 2-1, and I hit a slider to right field for a double, scoring two runs,” Coltman said.

“Colt (Coltman) hit an absolute beast to right field,” Riley said. “That kid, he can really swing it, and then we all came up and did our jobs.”

The Apollos kept rolling. Senior Dakota Chun singled in Coltman, with Coltman stomping on home plate.

“I just wanted to make it clear that I scored the run,” Coltman said.

Senior Cole Sauter followed with a ground-rule double to left field. Riley then stepped up, singling in both Chun and Sauter, upping the Sunset lead to 6-2.

“That was electric,” Riley said. “I missed first base, I had a little slip there, and had to go back. That was funny, but yeah, we all committed. That’s what you have to do.”

The never-say-die Generals came fighting back in the bottom of the sixth inning, getting an RBI single by senior Brady McCarthy on their way to scoring three times in the frame, cutting the Apollos’ lead to 6-5 going to the seventh inning.

Grant’s Late Push Falls Just Short

The Apollos still held the slim one-run margin going to the bottom of the seventh. Schoolcraft, Sunset’s left-handed ace, a University of Tennessee commit, and a possible high first-round pick in this month’s MLB draft, having limited innings after pitching the team to a 5-1 semifinal win at McMinnville, took the mound.

Snidow led off the seventh with a single to right. But Schoolcraft picked Snidow off first for the first out of the inning. Schoolcraft then got a strikeout for the second out. He then coaxed a grounder to Sullivan at shortstop and he made quick throw to Raubuch, who was now playing at first, for the title-clinching final out.

“I caught it. I was just in shock, catching it,” Raubuch said. “I just looked at my glove, having the ball, it was such a great feeling. Where we started from this season, coming back from last season, and winning is just amazing.”

“It was just joy, happiness, relief. We were really, really excited,” Coltman said. “It was just teamwork, camaraderie, staying together all as one.”

“Oh, the whole season, your whole life, you’ve been waiting for this since you’re a kid, and it’s like, ‘wow,’” Riley said. “The big stage, you want to get there, and we got there and we competed the hell out of it. And it was phenomenal, it really was.”

A New Generation of Fans

After his emotional game on the field, Raubuch had one more bit of duty following the trophy presentation – signing autograph after autograph.

That got his smile even bigger.

“I love signing the autographs,” Raubuch said. “I love all the fans coming out, all the kids. It means a lot to me.”

Coltman led the Sunset offense in the win, going 2 for 4 at the plate with a double, a run and three RBIs. Riley had a hit and two RBIs. Schoolcraft, in addition to getting the save on the mound, doubled and scored twice. Chun had a hit, a run and an RBI.

The Apollos gather with the state championship trophy following their 6-5 win over Grant in Saturday’s Class 6A title tilt. / Dan Brood

Grant, making its first state championship appearance since 1958, finished its season with a final record of 22-8.

“It was an amazing run,” Grant coach Matt Kabza said. “I’m really proud of the effort that these guys made, starting way back in September, the work they put in to get to this point. They really came together as a group. They started describing themselves as a family, instead of a team, and they created some special memories that I’ll personally cherish, and I know that they will, too.”

McCarthy went 2 for 4 with an RBI for the Generals. Senior Kaeden Cruse, junior Elliot Raiton, Snidow, Hoffert and junior Martin Elardo added one hit apiece.