Monday, July 27, 1953
TIGERS TAME CAJUNS, TAKE SI SECOND TITLE
Three teams played tag with each other in the South Island Second League vying with each other to see who would be promoted to the South Island First League next season... at season's end the Meraux Tigers tamed the Bar Harbor Acadians 6-4 in a single-game showdown for the league title... both clubs won spots in the South Island premier league... the third place Delacroix Cubs ran a good race but couldn't stay with the Tigers and Acadians in the last few weekends of the season.
Delacroix started well in March and April (6-3)... Meraux hung close (5-4)... but Bar Harbor lagged behind (4-5)... the Tigers (7-2) and Cajuns (6-3) got hot in May and June, while the Cubs cooled off considerably (4-5)... down-the-home stretch Meraux and Bar Harbor took charge and fended off Delacroix.
1st Place: Meraux Tigers (13-8)
It was a turnaround season for Meraux... in '52 they were tied for last place (9-11) in a closely-bunched race... the Tigers' rise probably was greatly helped by the promotion of the two best teams, St. Dominic and Guedon, a pair of classy ballclubs... reliable pitching by Mario Michelli (9-3/3.24 ERA/14 starts) played a big part, too... Meraux is not a good hitting team, but they do hit with power, tied with Delacroix with 20 home runs... the Tigers won the pennant despite having a dismal defense (.933 FA), nearly the worst in the league... top run producers were second baseman Jackson Maxwell (.304/2 HR/15 RBI/12 R/5 SB), third baseman Buddy Brodnax (.272/2 HR/13 RBI/11 R/0 SB), center fielder Johnny Morton (.265/2 HR/9 RBI/13 R/9 SB), right fielder Boyd Benson (.265/2 HR/8 RBI/14 R/5 SB) and first baseman Clinton Theriot (.232/4 HR/14 RBI/16 R/0 SB)... not an impressive batting order, but it is sufficient to compete in the weak South Island Second League.
2nd Place: Bar Harbor Acadians (12-9) (1 GB)
Being dropped from the SI First League was a blessing for the Cajuns... they were dead last with a pathetic 5-15 mark in '52... but lo and behold, they came in second this year... Bar Harbor got a lot better pitching this year with the addition of rookie Andrew Moneypenny (6-2/3.24 ERA/14 starts)... lack of a good bullpen hurts the Cajuns... the Acadians also play good defense, the best in the league... but they don't hit very well, finishing last in the stats... most of the team's in the SISL are in the same boat offensively... it is a pretty even league... fortunately the Cajuns have three threats in the lineup, sparked by left fielder Duke Rabouin (.264/4 HR/24 RBI/19 R/14 SB), who led the league in runs batted in... two other solid bats are right fielder Pierre Marquette (.303/3 HR/18 RBI/19 R/7 SB) and center fielder Alex Korda (.272/3 HR/15 RBI/14 R/0 SB)... second baseman Jimmy Armstrong (.280/1 HR/7 RBI/21 R/18 SB) is a plus, too.
3rd Place: Delacroix Cubs (11-9) (1.5 GB)
On paper the Cubs are the best team in the league... they outhit everybody (.269)... lead in longballs (20)... are among the best defenders (.958 FA)... and Raymond Foret (6-3/3.86 ERA/12 starts) and Armand St. Pierre (3-2/3.61 ERA/6 starts) give them two decent starters... and the offense has some sock with left fielder James Ellison (.329/4 HR/19 RBI/17 R/4 SB), shortstop Doug Juban (.358 BA/4 HR/15 RBI/19 R/1 SB), CF Clarence Chaisson (.372 BA/3 HR/13 RBI/20 R/16 SB), second baseman Lyle Barnes (.300/1 HR/15 RBI/8 R/3 SB) and third baseman Rufus Chauvin (.292/1 HR/11 RBI/10 R/0 SB)... they look like the class of the SISL, but they wound up in the third spot in the standings in '53... the Cubs were in the same spot in '52 (10-10) with just about the same ball team.
4th Place: Mystic Mariners (9-11) (3.5 GB)
The Mariners have the worst pitching staff in the SI Second... play average defense... and rank near the bottom in scoring runs... in '52 they were in the SI First League and came in fifth (7-13) and were shipped down to the lesser league... their most reliable batters are shortstop Colin O'Shea (.341/2 HR/13 RBI/11 R/0 SB), right fielder Paddy Murphy (.276/5 HR/15 RBI/11 R/4 SB) and left fielder Todd Jeansonne (.308/0 HR/9 RBI/18 R/14 SB)... other contributors are second baseman Sean Fitzgerald (.260/2 HR/17 RBI/10 R/4 SB), rookie center fielder Ethan Adcock (.260/1 HR/5 RBI/14 R/6 SB) and first baseman Stan Skrnich (.237/2 HR/12 HR/11 R/10 SB)... neither of its starters Liam McLoughlin (5-8/4.84 ERA/11 starts) and Duffy Riordan (2-2/4.80 ERA/7 starts) did very well.
5th Place (tied): Chitamaca Moccasins (8-12) (4.5 GB)
The Moccasins have been near the bottom of the South Island Second League both seasons... they were 9-11 and fourth in '52... the Mocs are average scoring runs... have good power... fairly decent pitching... and the worst defense in the league... Travis Jumonville (4-4/3.46 ERA/9 starts) and Bill Donovan (3-3/3.68 ERA/8 starts) did most of the pitching... heading up the Chitamaca attack was third baseman Remi Jarreau (.162/8 HR/20 HR/11 R/0 SB)... he didn't hit for much average, but topped the SISL in homers and ranked high in runs batted in... other runs producers are second baseman Allen Toussaint (.329/1 HR/14 RBI/15 RBI/11 SB), first baseman Washa Ducioux (.307/1 HR/13 RBI/17 R/1 SB), center fielder Adam Derouen (.280/1 HR/10 RBI/18 R/18 SB) and right fielder Matt Briscoe (.276/2 HR/12 RBI/14 R/3 SB).
5th Place (tied): Bayou Bleu Blues (8-12) (4.5 GB)
The Blues have been at the bottom of the barrel both years in the South Island Second League... 9-11 in '52 and 8-12 this year... not a very impressive team... bad offense, but good power... fair starters... and lousy defense... Carmine DeGrazio (4-7/3.57 ERA/10 starts) and Barrett Bienvenu (4-2/3.61 ERA/6 starts) are the main starters... not a single .300 hitter in the lineup... left fielder Luc Desselle (.250/4 HR/20 RBI/9 R/3 SB) is the biggest threat in the batting order... he gets some help from center fielder Germaine Clemenceau (.273/4 HR/12 RBI/18 R/5 SB), third baseman Zip Zimmerman (.288/1 HR/8 RBI/13 R/9 SB) and second baseman Hank Hudlow (.267/1 HR/10 RBI/8 R/0 SB).
