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Trenton outfielder Austin Jackson hit his first career grand slam and drove in a career-high seven runs on Wednesday afternoon. (Kevin Pataky/MLB.com) |
The Trenton Thunder had no shortage of offensive stars in Wednesday afternoon's 15-5 blowout of the Reading Phillies, but Austin Jackson managed to stand out.
The highly regarded outfield prospect drove in a career-high seven runs in the contest, all of which came with the bases loaded.
"I kind of started out slow this season, so all I've been trying to do lately is get up there and start putting together a couple of good at-bats," said Jackson, whose seven RBIs tied a franchise record.
Put together a couple of good at-bats is exactly what Jackson did. In the fourth inning, he connected for his second homer of the season and the first grand slam of his career. The opposite-field blast gave the Thunder (29-15) a commanding 8-1 lead.
"Lately I've been swinging at a lot of bad pitches in the dirt," said Jackson. "My hitting coach has been telling me to see the ball up, and that's what I did. I got a hold of one and drove it the other way."
After grounding out in the fifth inning, Jackson once again came to the plate with the bases juiced in the eighth. This time, he hit a triple.
"On that one, I was telling myself 'Don't try to hit another home run,'" said the 2005 eighth-round Draft pick. "On an 0-2 count [Fabio Castro] threw me a curve up and away and I was able to stay on it."
With Jackson leading the way, nine Thunder players hit safely in Wednesday's rout. Jose Tabata went 3-for-6 with a home run, four RBIs and two runs scored, while Kevin Russo went 4-for-5 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored.
Phil Coke (3-1) picked up the win, allowing two runs on four hits over six innings.
Kip Bouknight (3-5) took the loss for the R-Phils (19-24), allowing eight runs on six hits over four frames.
Benjamin Hill is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.