Head Leads Marauders to Series Win in Tampa

TAMPA, Fla. — Hudson Head homered and drove in a career-high five runs in an 11-6 Marauders win over the Tampa Tarpons on Sunday afternoon at Steinbrenner Field.

Head went 2-for-3 in the game, giving the Marauders a 3-0 lead in the second inning with a bases-clearing, three-run double, later contributing a bases-loaded walk and a solo home run to pad the lead for the Marauders (27-15).

Marauders starter Jared Jones struck out five over four innings, allowing just one run and working around a pair of walks in his third career start.

The resulting series win was the fourth in a row for the Marauders, who have now won nine of their last 11 games.

Head’s three-run double in the second came off Tarpons (28-14) starter Clay Aguilar (0-1), who was finished after two innings.

Tampa came within two runs, 3-1, on a solo homer by Pat DeMarco in the third off Jones, but in the fourth, the Marauders rallied for six runs. With runners on first and second, Jase Bowen hit a grounder to third baseman Jesus Bastidas, who threw to second in an attempt to start a double play, but the throw sailed into right field, allowing Eli Wilson to score. After a walk to Norkis Marcos, Head earned his bases-loaded walk to force home a run, and Sammy Siani and Endy Rodriguez each delivered two-run singles for a 9-1 Bradenton cushion.

But after neither team scored over the next two innings, Tampa stormed back in the seventh. Right-hander Domingo Gonzalez, who had held the Tarpons scoreless in the fifth and sixth, lost command. After a recording a strikeout to begin the inning, Gonzalez allowed a solo homer to Evan Alexander, then hit Bastidas with a pitch. He then walked three straight batters, forcing home a run, and Jake Sanford followed with a two-run single to knock Gonzalez from the game. Sergio Umana (1-1) entered in relief and induced a grounder to shortstop Maikol Escotto. An attempt at an inning-ending double play resulted instead in a wild throw past first base by Jase Bowen, making the score 9-6 as Trevor Hauver scored from second. Umana then followed by getting an inning-ending flyout from Eric Wagaman, the ninth batter of the inning.

The Marauders added to their lead in the eighth on Head’s solo homer to right field, his fifth of the season, and got a ninth-inning RBI-double from Siani, stretching the Marauders lead to 11-6.

Umana allowed consecutive singles to Wells and Hauver in the bottom of the ninth, but got Sanford to fly out to center field and induced a 4-6-3 double-play grounder from Carlos Narvaez to end the game.

The Marauders return home on Tuesday, opening a six-game series against the Jupiter Hammerheads, Low-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m. at LECOM Park.