The Island City Showdown, a battle between Alameda’s two collegiate summer ball clubs—the Alameda Anchors and the Alameda Merchants—held its inaugural game Friday, June 7, at Pat Bail field. The showdown featured a whopping total of 26 runs scored, with the Merchants securing a 16-10 victory in their 2024 home opener. It was their first game after an eight-year hiatus.
“It’s a good feeling to bring this back,” said Merchants head coach Dustin Cheyne. “I’m just excited to be a part of something that’s bigger, excited about the guys that are here, and restarting the engine.”
Although a ton of runs were scored, the game started off slow. The first inning went scoreless between the clubs and was one of two innings with that result. In the second inning, the Merchants were the first to cross the plate for a run. Merchants catcher Atticus Gonzalez got himself into scoring position with a double down midfield, and was later brought home by a single RBI from infielder Brady Wetzel. The second inning closed right after that, and the Merchants held a brief 1-0 lead going into the third.
In the third inning, the Anchors scored three runs. Infielder Elijah Cernak singled an RBI that tied the contest 1-1. Then the Anchors racked up consecutive RBIs from shortstop Alex Merchant and second baseman Trey Trias for a 3-1 lead over the Merchants. In the bottom of the third, Merchants catcher Atticus Gonzalez brought home a baserunner with an RBI and kept the score within a run.
The Anchors led 3-2 going into the fourth inning, and tacked on another two runs. First an RBI from outfielder Carmelo Rivera brought home an Anchor baserunner and put catcher Jerry Coakly in scoring position. Second, a wild pitch gave Coakly an open window to steal home, and the Anchors went up 5-2 over the Merchants.In the bottom of the inning, the Merchants fought back with an RBI from outfielder Casey Leavitt-McGee, cutting the Anchors’ lead to 5-3 .
In the fifth inning, both Trey Trias and Jerry Coakly doubled for RBIs, and then a well-placed bunt from outfielder Gaetano Polizzotti resulted in a third RBI and put the Anchors up 8-3 over the Merchants. But that wasn’t the end of the story. Despite a five-run deficit, the Merchants closed the gap with four runs in the bottom of the inning. They loaded the bases and capitalized on the opportunity. Infielder Xavier Leccours hit a pop fly for an RBI. Then Brady Wetzel smacked a triple down right field and displayed sprinter-esque speed, prompting two Merchant baserunners to cross home plate. Finally, infielder Nate Kohahais singled an RBI and brought the Merchants back within one run, to cut the Anchors’ lead to 8-7 at the end of the inning.
The sixth inning was scoreless, but momentum picked back up in the seventh. The Anchors were still leading 8-7, with their outfielder Caleb Catalano on first base and Trey Trias on third base. Catalano drew in the Merchants second and first baseman on a steal attempt, giving Trey Trias a moment’s chance to steal home. That put the Anchors up 9-7. In the bottom of the inning, the Merchants made an epic five-run comeback. An RBI single from Nate Korahais reduced the deficit to 9-8, then, a pair of RBI doubles from outfielder Rocco Granucci and infielder Blake Jacobs resulted in four runs, giving the Merchants a 12-9 lead.
“We made adjustments…guys were overswinging in the beginning and getting themselves out,” said Merchants assistant coach Dan Mills. Those adjustments helped the Merchants score nine runs between the fifth and seventh innings and took back control of the game.
The Merchants had jumped out to a 12-9 lead over the Anchors seemingly out of nowhere and were in control going into the eighth inning. In the top half of the inning, the Anchors reduced the deficit to 12-10 with an RBI triple from second baseman EJ Cord, but it would be their last run of the game. The Merchants tallied another four runs. Two runners were walked home, a wild pitch gave Nate Korahais an opportunity to steal home, and an RBI from Rocco Granucci put the Merchants up 16-10 over the Anchors.
The Anchors had one last at-bat in the top of the ninth, but were quickly cleaned out as the Merchants became the first ever Island City Showdown champions. Along with the epic battle, there was great music and delicious food. Anchors and Merchants GM Tony Cecaci managed the event and held down the snack bar.
“It feels great, it’s super exciting to see these two teams come together… It feels good when you take a second to look at it, but there’s always more work to do,” said Cecaci. “We got hamburgers, hotdogs, bratwurst, root beer floats, and everything.”
Despite the very small crowd of spectators, those who were in attendance were treated to an incredible performance by these young athletes and a genuine ballpark experience.
See the Anchors 2024 schedule and purchase game tickets online. The Merchants 2024 schedule also is available online; game tickets will be available online soon.
Contributing writer Gabriel Caraballo covers local sports for the Alameda Post. Contact him via [email protected]. His writing is collected https://alamedapost.com/Gabriel-Caraballo.
