Zack Mercer Clubs Walk-Off Homer as this Week's Athlete in the Spotlight

Naugatuck junior Zach Mercer has emerged as the Greyhounds go-to guy. On Monday Naugatuck trailed Watertown by an 8-4 deficit heading into the bottom of the sixth.

The Hounds rallied for three runs in the sixth and came to the plate for their final at bat still chasing an 8-7 score. Karl Johansen ripped a triple off the fence and scored on a wild pitch to tie the game.

Down to their final out Nolan Kinne beat out a bunt for a hit and Arber Mehmedi kept the rally going with a solid single. Up stepped Mercer the junior catcher and with one swing of the bat pulled victory from the jaws of defeat rocking a three run game ending home run over the centerfield fence.

The Naugatuck dugout emptied out onto the field to give to give their game winning slugger a well deserved back pounding.

“It’s been quite a few years since we have been able to do something like that,” said Naugatuck head coach Tom Deller. "It was nice to see the guys whooping it up like that. Last year we struggled at times to get runs but lately we have been really swinging the bats.”

Naugatuck struggled in the season opener managing just five hits in a 4-2 loss to Torrington. Since then the Hounds are crushing the ball and Mercer has been a big part of the revival.

On Saturday Mercer ripped three hits and drove in four runs as Naugatuck scored two in the fifth and three more in the sixth turning a 6-5 nail bitter into an 11-5 rout of Fairfield Ludlowe.

“We put together 26 hits in two games and you probably have to go all the way back to 1998 for that kind of production,” added Deller.

Naugatuck did score double digits five times last season compiling 60 runs but won only four of those games. The rest of the season was a struggle offensively as they put just 62 runs on the scoreboard in the other 15 games managing just and 8-7 record to finish up at 12-8.

What is the difference this season? Senior ace Matt Zahornasky on the hill, junior closer Adam Neveski one win, one save, the bats of Kinne, Mehmedi, Johansen, Rich Pimental and of course the game changer Zack Mercer.

“I just went up there looking for a fast ball that I could drive,” said Mercer about his mustard on the hot dog game winning shot that improved the Hounds at 2-1 on the season "“I have been seeing the ball real well and when it went over the fence that was an awesome feeling.”

“I got mobbed at the plate and I think a game like that really brought this team together. We believe in each other and we know we can come back and get it done.”