It’s common for coaches to praise their assistants after a win, but in this case Jason Mandaquit had a hand in the victory.
Shon Malani turned the ball over to Mandaquit for Monday’s state coach-pitch PONY League semifinals. Malani credited Mandaquit for making sure Hilo stayed in the game mentally when it fell behind, and he grooved a couple of pitches in the fifth as the Gold rallied for a 5-4 victory against Waianae Red to remain unbeaten in Wailuku, Maui.
“(Jason) does a great job of keeping these kids focused,” Malani said. “It can be a long game, but they stay with it.