FLOWOOD — With bad memories from the night before lingering in his head, University Christian’s Adam McPhail showed that all you really need to be a hero in baseball is another day and another chance.

McPhail belted a tiebreaking two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning in Game 2 of the Flames’ first-round Class 1A playoff series with St. Al, sending them on to a 6-2 victory.

In the series’ decisive Game 3, McPhail pitched 21⁄3 innings of scoreless relief and made a diving, over-the-shoulder catch of a pop-up to thwart St. Al’s best chance at a comeback, as University Christian won 9-4 to win the series.

It was a moment of redemption for McPhail, who in Game 1 balked in a run and committed a key error in the seventh inning that led to St. Al’s winning rally.

“It was pretty awesome. Our team battled through the game, both of them. We just came out with the mentality that we had to win or we’re done. And none of the seniors wanted to be done tonight,” McPhail said.

University Christian (14-8) advanced to the second round to face Stringer, while St. Al’s season came to an end. The Flashes finished with a 6-19 record and a disappointing playoff loss, but also plenty of optimism about the future.

Only two seniors, infielders Josh Eargle and Neal Ricks, are on this year’s roster. The three pitchers used by coach Derrik Boland in Game 3 were freshmen Derek Dolan and Drake Dorbeck, and sophomore Seth Carpenter. Game 2 starter Patrick Murphy, already a two-year starter, is a sophomore.

“What we’ve evolved from the first week to now has been exponential. It’s all you can ask of guys. We’ve got a lot coming back and they’re a good group of kids. We’ve got a lot of character. I have to thank the seniors for that,” Boland said. “I thought the outcome was going to be a lot different today.”

Saturday’s doubleheader turned in a heartbeat in the fifth inning of Game 2.

With two outs and a runner on first base, McPhail launched a pitch from Murphy over the right field fence to give University Christian a 4-2 lead. Cody Grogan lifted a fly ball over the left field wall, and pitcher Michael Allen followed with a solo homer to right.

The back-to-back-to-back shots gave the Flames a 6-2 lead, and Allen retired the last eight batters he faced to even the series. Allen allowed just one hit in a complete-game victory.

The Flames’ momentum carried over into Game 3. St. Al committed three errors in the first three innings that led to seven unearned runs. By the end of the third inning, University Christian had a 9-2 lead and was well on its way to victory.

“I think it gave us confidence,” UCS coach Jonathan Broome said of the three consecutive homers. “We had not hit the ball in the first game very well, really had not hit the ball up until that point. Then when we went back-to-back-to-back — which I had never seen, outside of highlights — I think that’s when they started to realize we could hit and we’re going to score some runs.”

St. Al, though, didn’t go down without a fight. An error and three consecutive hit batsmen brought in two runs, cutting it to 9-4, and left the bases loaded with two outs.

McPhail came in from center field to relieve freshman pitcher Bailey Canada. The first batter he faced, Neal Ricks, lifted a soft pop-up into the grassy area between the pitcher’s mound and the infield dirt on the right side of the infield. McPhail initially broke in, then sprinted back and made a diving catch with his back to the plate.

“At first I thought it was going to be a lot deeper into the infield, so I was going to let (second baseman) Brewer (Eldridge) take it. Then I looked at it again and said, ‘That’s down.’ I just went for it, gave it my all and laid out for it. I’ve got that outfielder in me still,” McPhail said.

Had the ball fallen in, Ricks would’ve had an RBI single and the inning would’ve continued. Instead, the Flames were out of the inning and McPhail got into a groove. He retired six of the last seven batters he faced to slam the door on the Flashes.

“We didn’t stop fighting, and that’s one thing I’ve been preaching. It’s baseball. You never know when you can pop off nine runs in one inning,” Boland said. “It’s a crazy game, and that’s one thing they took with them all through the year. You’re never down until the last pitch is thrown and it’s final.”