It’s common for coaches to praise their assistants after a win, but in this case Jason Mandaquit had a hand in the victory.
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.”
Hilo will face either Waianae Red, which later eliminated West Oahu, on Tuesday as it seeks its second championship on Maui, and it has room for error as it would have to be beaten twice Tuesday. The group of 7- and 8-year-olds is 6-0 since starting play Wednesday. The first two wins came as Hilo Gold swept Maui in a player-pitch series
“The switch to underhand can be a tough adjustment,” Malani said. “It’s still real competitive with a lot of excitement.”
Malani acted as his team’s pitcher for its first three games, but Mandaquit took over those duties when PONY officials moved the mound 38 feet away from the batter’s box. Previously, the distance was 25 feet.
Waianae Red led 4-0, but Hilo went ahead in the bottom of the fifth when Tait Labra singled and scored on Josiah Williams’s double. Labra and Williams each finished with two hits.
“It was a defensive battle,” Malani said. “Waianae has great hitters. They’re huge.”
In the consolation bracket, Kona beat Kauai 10-6 and then lost to Windward 8-7 and was eliminated.