Tucker Flory smacks a fastball up the middle in the first inning for the first run of the game. Flory finished with a pair of hits, as Veritas edged Midland, 6-4, Saturday at Hoglund Ballpark.

It’s a play the Veritas Christian baseball team practiced far too often this spring. So much so, that the players admitted to getting bored of the repetitive drill.

But in the game’s biggest moment, all that practice came into fruition. With a pair of runners on in the top of the seventh, Veritas sophomore reliever Cody Heiland turned and flicked the ball over to second base. Sophomore Tucker Flory was there to place the tag for the final out, and clinch a 6-4 victory over Midland on Saturday at Hoglund Ballpark.

“We had some great defensive plays in the seventh,” head coach Trent Flory said. “We work on the pickoff to second base a lot. Up to the point that I think some guys were getting bored. That’s going to make a difference in games that are close.”

The defense proved to be pivotal for the Eagles, as they narrowly avoided a late push by the Monarchs.

One batter earlier in the seventh, Midland first baseman Drew Welch smoked a shot to deep left that would have likely been an extra-base hit and tied the game. Instead, Zach Hill was able to track down the ball and extend his glove to make the running snag.

“That was a good play,” Tucker Flory said. “He tracked that down. I didn’t think he was going to, but he ended up with it.”

The defensive prowess by Hill served as a personal redemption for the senior. After a working around a two-out walk in the fifth, Hill faltered in his second inning of relief. He was charged with three runs off just two hits. Hill walked a trio of batters and recorded multiple wild pitches.

Hill was the first reliever called up after Flory pitched a gem. Flory walked just one batter, while striking out seven across four innings of one-run ball. Flory consistently sat in the low 80s, clocking as high as 84 mph, according to the scoreboard. He leaned on his curveball a bit more than usual, but allowed just three hits.

“This is a fun environment to play in,” Tucker Flory said. “I felt good the first couple innings. I kind of tired out. I usually stay on my fastball, but today my curveball was working really well.”

Flory was gifted an early advantage, which he helped provide. Following a one-out double by sophomore Jackson Rau, Flory smacked an RBI-single up the middle for the game’s first run. He was later plated by a base hit into center by sophomore Rondre Diederich.

Senior Weston Flory scored on a wild pitch in the second, to give his team a 3-1 lead, before several starters had to leave due to a scheduled dress rehearsal for a play. Saturday’s game was originally scheduled for March 21 but was postponed due to weather.

Still, Rau and Flory added two more in the fourth on a RBI single and a wild pitch, respectively. Then sophomore Levi Hawkins drove in a critical insurance run in the fifth.

“This definitely was our effort to date, pieces started to come together,” Trent Flory said. “And what better place to do than here.”

Midland 100 003 0 — 4 5 2

Veritas 210 210 x — 6 7 0

W — Tucker Flory. L — Chris White. SV — Cody Heiland.

2B — Jackson Rau, VC.

Veritas highlights — Flory 4 IP, 1R, 3H, 7K, 1BB; Flory 2-for-3, RBI; Rau 2-for-4, RBI; Levi Hawkins 1-for-2, RBI.