Kernels' Jacobo hits for cycle

After just an inning and a half on Friday night, Cedar Rapids' Gabe Jacobo was 2-for-2 and left the suspended game thinking his daily batting cage work was beginning to pay off.

When play resumed Saturday afternoon, Jacobo was one of the last players in the Kernels dugout to realize he accomplished a rare milestone.

The 22-year-old first baseman hit for the cycle, going 5-for-5 with five RBIs, in Cedar Rapids' 15-6 rout of the Quad Cities River Bandits. He singled and doubled Friday, then homered, tripled and singled again Saturday.

"I didn't think about it at all," Jacobo said. "It didn't even dawn on me until I hit the ball [for the triple]. I saw it go off the guy's glove and when I was rounding second it kind of dawned on me."

Luckily for Jacobo, his teammates weren't quite so nonchalant.

"I came in and everyone just kind of congratulated me with high fives," said Jacobo, who was presented with the lineup card by manager Bill Mosiello. "I think they knew what was going on more than I did."

If Jacobo sounds surprised, it's not just humility. A self-described slow starter, he entered Friday's game with two hits over 17 at-bats in his previous four games.

"It definitely is a confidence-booster [to hit for the cycle]," Jacobo said. "These are the kind of games you need to get the confidence up and realize that you can compete at this level. ... And, hopefully, I can continue to prove that."

Jacobo was selected by the Angels in the 10th round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft and split last season between Rookie-level Orem and the Kernels.

In his professional debut for the Owlz, the Cal State-Sacramento product fell a triple shy of the cycle, making Saturday's feat a long time coming.

"I'm going to remember this for the rest of my life," Jacobo said, "because chances are I'm never going to do this again."

After Saturday's first game, Jacobo was slugging .416 with a .743 OPS. And despite a nightcap, in which he was 0-for-3 with a walk, he remains optimistic his offense can continue to improve.

"Every day, I've been working on things," Jacobo said. "Every day, we are in the cages, working on things with our hitting coach, and I'd like to think those things are helping."

It's a cycle worth sticking to.