Author’s Note: FAMU’s semifinal game has been moved to Saturday, May 23, at 1 p.m. Eastern Time due to rain.
Through rain delays and a game that extended to late hours of the night, Jackson McKenzie achieved a rare accomplishment in Florida A&M baseball’s Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinal contest.
The junior designated hitter and All-SWAC first teamer hit for the cycle in three-seed FAMU’s (29-22) 15-6 triumph over the two-seed Southern Jaguars (28-22) on Thursday, May 22, at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama.
Hitting for the cycle means that McKenzie singled, doubled, tripled, and slammed a home run for the Rattlers.
McKenzie completed the cycle in the eighth inning.
With two outs and Jay Campbell standing on third after McKenzie faced Jaguars pitcher Noah Bagby and sent the first pitch he saw to right field for a homerun.
The cycle unfolded inning by inning.
McKenzie singled through the right side in the third with Campbell and Alex Monile on base to set up FAMU’s three-run frame. He tripled to right-center in the sixth and scored on an Ethan Miller run batted in single.
He doubled down the left field line in the seventh, after nearly two hours of standing in the rain, and scored on a Colton Ryals double.
Then came the aforementioned homer in the eighth to clinch the cycle.
For the game, the McKenzie went 4-of-6, had three RBI, and scored four runs. Monile and Matthew Perez followed McKenzie with three hits apiece.
FAMU pitcher Garrett Workman earned Thursday’s win on the mound after going for 5.1 innings, allowing six hits and three runs, and three strikeouts. Lincoln Clark, Tanner Walker, and Ryan Young also pitched for the Rattlers.
What’s next for FAMU baseball? A shot at a SWAC Tournament title game appearance
FAMU is one game away from advancing to the SWAC Tournament championship game for the second straight year.
The Rattlers will play on Friday, May 22, at 7 p.m. Eastern Time against the winner of Southern Jaguars and Texas Southern Tigers (21-23).
Southern and Texas Southern will meet for an elimination game on Friday at 1 p.m., meaning that the winner would have to play twice on the same day.
If FAMU wins the Friday night matchup, it moves on to the SWAC title game on Sunday at 2 p.m. If the Rattlers fall, they will play a do-or-die game on Saturday, May 23, at 1 p.m., to determine who moves to the championship round.
The entire tournament is on SWAC TV.
FAMU’s athletic department contributed to this report.
Gerald Thomas, III, is a multi-time national award-winning reporter for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat.
Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at GDThomas@Tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU baseball’s Jackson McKenzie hits for cycle in SWAC Tournament vs SU
Reporting by Gerald Thomas III, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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