Ruben Figueroa went into the stands after the Division IV state title game to give his mentor, Roy Muller, a long hug.

Figueroa spent 27 years as Muller’s assistant at Paradise Valley High. The moment they wanted to share finally arrived Saturday but with a different school, Apache Junction, which Figueroa now directs and also has waited a long time for Saturday’s crowning achievement — a state championship.

Leave it to a freshman, a sophomore and a No. 9 hitter to help deliver the goods for the veteran coach and program, and they did so just as Apache Junction’s chances of winning were sinking.

Down to its final at-bat, Apache Junction rallied to send the game into extra innings, where an inside the part home run helped Apache Junction claim its first baseball title in 33 years after defeating Joy Christian 9-6 at Surprise Stadium. Sophomore left-handed hitter Nathan Rhodes kept his team’s season alive when he hit a two-out first pitch single to center field for an RBI in the bottom of the seventh inning.

In the eighth inning, No. 9 hitter Audie Craig rounded the bases after his hit to center field landed near the outstretched arms of Joy Christian’s centerfielder.

The ball kept rolling toward the center field wall and Craig kept running.

“My coaches just kept telling me to keep running, and I just kept running as fast as I could, thinking I would hopefully get there (home) safe,” Craig said.

Craig did just that as he slid at home without a tag attempt.

Three batters later, Apache Junction added an insurance run after a bloop single from Rhodes. Freshman Austin Sample picked up the save for Apache Junction.

Sample gave up an RBI single to leadoff hitter Nick Ayres (3 for 4 with two RBI’s) to put Joy Christian up 6-5 in the sixth inning but allowed only one hit in his final two and 1/3 innings. Apache Junction scored four runs against Joy Christian’s freshman right-handed starter Zach Martinez in the first two innings and led 5-1 in the fifth inning, but Martinez kept his team in the game, striking out seven of 10 batters during one stretch.

Joy Christian (33-5) scored four runs in the fifth inning to tie the game, 5-5. Joy Christian hit the ball hard early but right at Apache Junction players.

Joy Christian was seeking its first state baseball championship trophy, but that trophy went to Apache Junction for the first time since since 1983. Figueroa was hoping to win his first title with Muller, but Muller took over Pinnacle High.

“He (Muller) is like my second dad,” Figueroa said. “I owe a lot to him.”

Figueroa orchestrated arguably this year’s greatest turnaround for a baseball team.

Hit then young team won only 6 games last year, but this season Apache Junction finished with a 28-6 record.

“It (title) means everything to us,” Figueroa said. “It means everything to the town of Apache Junction.”   

 (Apache Junction)