Snow Finds Touch of April in June : Angels: First baseman drives in four runs for the first time in his major league career to help team overcome a ninth-inning deficit.

Suddenly, it is April again for J.T. Snow.

His timing is perfect, his swing postcard-pretty and the baseballs are kissing the outfield grass.

Oh, are they ever.

Snow banged out three hits Friday night during the Angels’ 9-8 victory over Chicago, collected the first four-RBI game of his young career and produced more smiles than he has in a long time.

“(The four RBIs) were just a reflection of guys getting on base,” Snow said. “I was just fortunate to have guys on base tonight.”

He now has six hits in his past seven at-bats. He is 12 for 33 (.364) on this home stand, with eight RBIs. His batting average has crept up to .250, the highest its been since May 11.

Snow, who had never had a three-hit game, now has three this week.

“I feel pretty good up there,” Snow said. “I’m just trying to get back to the basics--hit the ball up the middle and not do too much.

“You’re only as good as the pitches you get, and I’m swinging at good pitches.”

He had been dropped from third to as low as eighth in the batting order while his batting average plummeted deeper and deeper. A splendid .343 mark at the end of April had turned into a sorry .205 the first week of June.

May? It was a white-out for Snow. His batting average was a measly .124.

“You have one good game and you think you’re coming out of it,” Snow said. “I’m not even thinking about it right now.”

Slumps have a way of slipping inside your head, grabbing your mind and not letting go. And when you’re a rookie battling your first deep slump, questions replace sleep.

Before Snow had his first three-hit game on June 13, he had only 16 hits in his past 125 at bats.

“I’ve been at the top and I’ve been at the bottom,” now said. “I know what both are like. I’m trying to get somewhere in the middle.

“I haven’t changed. I try to stay the same. I’ve been telling myself, ‘Keep your head up.’

“It’s tough. It’s real tough. But you’ve got to believe. When things go bad, you have to try to not do too much.”

On Saturday, Snow, batting sixth, knocked a run-scoring single into center field in the first. Then, after striking out in the third, he greeted White Sox reliever Don Pall in the fifth with a two-run single into center, pulling the Angels to within 6-5.

In the seventh, he poked another run-scoring single into center, pulling the Angels to within 8-7.

The game plan was simple: Snow kept the Angels close until Chili Davis could win it with a ninth-inning homer.

“I think this is a huge win for us, the way they kept going up and we kept catching them,” Snow said. “We just kept battling.

“This is the thing that can keep you going. It was a great win for us.”

Once again, swinging the bat is no sweat for the Snowman.