Billings baseball beats all

The first-ever Howard S. Billings High School competitive baseball team won the Greater Montreal Athletics Association (GMAA) Juvenile boys’ D4 championship last week, powered by two Kahnawa’kehró:non stars.

Both players have been recognized for their contributions this year, with pitcher Tyson Kyer being named most valuable player of the season and Shakonikonhrawis Diabo awarded the MVP distinction for the playoffs.

The glorious game against College Regina Asumpta (CRA) unfolded in Kahnawake at the Field of Dreams. Billings was down 2-0 going into the bottom of the third, but that soon changed when Diabo stepped up to the plate with two players on base, hammering the ball for a triple and scoring on the next play.

Kyer meanwhile gave up just two hits and a run, earning the win, according to the team’s coach, Adam Pingel.

It’s a fitting result: Kyer’s not just a phenom at the mound with the team’s most innings pitched, lowest earned run average, and most strikeouts - he also led the team in batting average, runs batted in, and doubles, the coach said.

“Everyone played well, and it was great to see them wearing the gold medals as they deserved them,” said Pingel.

“It was amazing. They are a fantastic group of athletes. This was the first year that Billings ever had a team in baseball and to go the entire season undefeated and win the championship is pretty remarkable.”

Their first time up against CRA, Billings was on the ropes right up until the last inning, so they knew they had to take the competition seriously.

“We came up with a strategy to prevent them from stealing bases, and it worked perfectly,” Pingel said.

The team had two injured players who couldn’t compete in the championship but who nevertheless showed up to support the team and celebrate, Pingel added, a symbol of the group’s spirit.

“I’m very proud of their season and to know the banner will be hung at school,” Pingel said.

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Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter