51s add power, patience with veteran McDougall

Marshall McDougall's Friday went a lot better than his Thursday if for no other reason than he didn't have to spend nine hours on an airplane and then wait 45 minutes in 106-degree heat on the taxi line at McCarran International Airport to catch a cab.

McDougall, who was called up by the 51s from Double-A Jacksonville on Thursday to replace injured Andy LaRoche, spent all day getting to Cashman Field and then struck out in his first at-bat for Las Vegas as an eighth-inning replacement at first base in the 51s' 10-7 win over Colorado Springs.

On Friday, McDougall started at third base and was 2-for-3 with a walk as the 51s ended a four-game homestand with a 10-5 loss to the Sky Sox.

"Yeah, it was pretty hectic," McDougall said of his odyssey, which began at 7 a.m. Thursday when he left Florida for Las Vegas and didn't get to the ballpark until just after 5 p.m. "But I'm glad to be here, and I don't plan on going backward."

McDougall was hitting .263 for Jacksonville and was leading the Suns in home runs (11) and RBIs (47) when he was called up. He has major league experience, having appeared in 18 games for the Texas Rangers in 2005. He also has extensive experience at the Triple-A level, having spent parts of four seasons with the Oklahoma Redhawks.

"It's pretty much you're living your dream," McDougall said of his stint with the Rangers, which saw him go 3-for-18 with a double. "I got hurt, and that has set me back."

McDougall has had two surgeries on his right wrist, the first coming in 2005. He appeared in four games with Oklahoma last year after re-injuring the wrist. But he says all is well, and he's using this season to show he's durable enough to play long-term. He's also versatile, having played all four infield positions.

A standout college player, McDougall had a day to remember as a junior at Florida State. The Seminoles were playing Maryland on May 9, 1999, and McDougall's day began with a first-inning single. The next time up, he hit a home run. He homered in his third at-bat and again in his fourth, fifth and sixth trips to the plate.

His seventh time up, he hit a three-run homer, his sixth in a row and an NCAA record. He finished the day with 16 RBIs, another record, as FSU routed the Terrapins, 26-2.

"It's still surreal all these years later," McDougall said. "Guys kept ragging on me in the dugout, saying 'You can't hit another.' ...

"I think if I watched someone else do it, I'd be more impressed because you're seeing it. When you're the one doing it, you're so focused on playing, you don't really realize what you're doing."

A copy of the box score from the game has been on display at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

"That's pretty cool," McDougall said of his contribution to the game's shrine. "The only thing bad is it overshadowed everything else I did in college.

"I won the Triple Crown in the (Atlantic Coast Conference), and we were runner-up at the College World Series. Those were pretty good accomplishments, too. But I guess it's nice to be remembered for something good."