This story was published in one of R’ Krohn’s books.
I happen to know the family personally – I was Shaya’s brother’s chavrusah for a few years.
A few points: Shaya did not die that winter.
His father told me that in R’ Krohn’s book, he embellished the story to make it sound better. It wasn’t the bottom of the ninth inning, or anything like that. He simply wanted to hit, and they gave him a home run. In the book, it says they put him on their shoulders and carried him around. His father told me that didn’t happen.
Finally, it didn’t happen during the summer. It happened during the school year, in Yeshiva Darchei Torah, in Far Rockaway.