FPD rolls to 10-0 win over Stratford for 11th straight victory

The FPD Vikings rolled to their 11th consecutive win Tuesday night, dominating the rival Stratford Eagles at home thanks to stellar pitching from Conner Strandmark and patient hitting from the entire order to snag a 10-0 win in five innings.

Strandmark did not allow a hit, walked only two batters and struck out 10 Eagles across his five-inning gem, which cemented FPD’s place as the No. 1 team in the GIAA 4A state rankings.

The senior, a Mercer commit and longtime fixture in the Vikings’ rotation, had his entire arsenal working on a chilly night in Macon, much to the satisfaction — if not surprise — of head coach Greg Moore.

“I thought he did a good job early of getting ahead. He had one inning where he walked two kids, but he never gave up a hit and I think that was mostly because he kept them guessing,” Moore said. “Stratford’s got a good team and they’ve been scoring a bunch of runs. But baseball hitting is hard enough, and when you’re behind in the count it’s even harder.”

That sentiment rang true for the Vikings on the offensive side as well, as FPD struck first in the opening frame after Brady McHugh’s patience garnered a walk that led to a run on a Wyatt Waters single to right field.

The offense got a real jolt in the third inning, when Sam Bryant turned the lineup over with a walk before another free pass to star shortstop Keon Johnson set the table for Major Simmons. 

Simmons, better known for his role as the skilled quarterback of the Vikings’ football team, worked the count before he cranked a ball to deep left field for a three-run bomb to give FPD a 4-0 lead. Another run later in the inning made it 5-0, and the Vikings never looked back as their seven walks paved the way to the impressive win.

“I thought their kids threw well. We had some really good at-bats. We had some guys that made some really good decisions early in the count that put them ahead early.  They didn’t get themselves out early in the county, which gave them a chance to have a better at-bat,” Moore said. “That’s easier said than done, because they just want to hit.”

Three more runs in the fourth inning put FPD within reach of the run-rule win, and some more walks in the bottom of the fifth put ducks on the pond for Simmons, who singled home the decisive 10th run.

Simmons’ four RBIs led the way for FPD, while Johnson reached base three times — including via an intentional walk — at the top of the order. The offensive clinic, paired with Strandmark’s typical pitching prowess, gave the Vikings the win over No. 2-ranked Stratford. 

The victory also continued a hot stretch that has seen the Vikings score 9 runs or more in eight of their 11 straight wins.

“You’re gonna think I’m being a coach and giving you some cliche stuff, but honestly, we’re not really keeping up with the number of games in a row and that sort of thing,” Moore said. “We’re just trying to keep doing things better. We have some things that we can still do better, and I thought in the past week we’ve done some things better.”

The Eagles were no pushovers coming into the rivalry game. Stratford had only one loss and had scored double digit runs in eight different games.

It was the pitching that struggled for Stratford, though, as the plate approach by the Vikings proved the difference-maker. FPD’s lineup waited for the right pitches from starter Hayden Camps and pounced on them in advantage counts.

“That was the first time we’ve faced a lot of adversity. We didn’t handle it real well. We walked too many batters, and almost all of them scored. You can’t do that against FPD, they’re too good of a hitting team,” Stratford head coach Barry Veal said.

Strandmark’s stuff on the bump did little to improve the Eagles’ prospects. Veal acknowledged the senior’s talent, but also felt his team should have been better prepared.

“When they’ve got him on the mound, it’s tough to beat,” Veal said. “We weren’t aggressive enough. He’s good, but we’ve seen him three times now in the past year and a half and we’ve gotta be more aggressive than that. He was around the strike zone, and we’ve gotta be hacking.”

The region rivalry was the first GIAA 4A/3A District 6 game of the year for both teams, giving FPD an early leg up. The two squads will meet again Thursday at Stratford.