The Peachtree Ridge High School community is in grief following the weekend death of a former baseball standout.
Two LaGrange College baseball players, including Jacob Brown of Peachtree Ridge, were killed in a vehicle accident Saturday night after the team won the conference championship, according to school officials.
Jacob Brown and Stephen Bartolotta, both freshmen pitchers for the club, were killed in the collision between two automobiles. According to officials, the driver of the other car, Rico Dunn of LaGrange, was also killed.
“Our Peachtree Ridge Athletics community is in grief at the passing of alumni Jacob Brown,” said Peachtree Ridge Athletic Director Ryan Lesniak. “A 2021 graduate, Jacob was a Lions pitcher with a fantastic personality and an unrivaled enthusiasm for the game of baseball.” He will be sorely missed by everyone at Peachtree Ridge.”
According to news accounts, the collision occurred on State Route 109 in Troup County. According to a Georgia State Patrol spokeswoman, there was a three-vehicle collision on Ga. 109 in Troup County on Saturday night, and three persons perished in the accident, but the identities of the victims could not be released.
According to Georgia State Patrol Public Information Officer Franka Young, “a silver 2015 Honda Accord was going east on GA 109 when it passed a gray 2019 Honda Accord in a no-passing zone.” “The 2015 Accord collided with a 2008 GMC Sierra going west on GA 109.”
“The GMC Sierra flipped and came to an uncontrolled stop off the highway after contact.” The debris from the incident impacted the 2019 Honda Accord, but none of the occupants were hurt.”
Two passengers in the 2015 Honda Accord died at the scene, according to Young, while the driver of the GMC Sierra was taken to Piedmont Columbus Regional Hospital. Dunn, the driver of the GMC, died in the hospital.
The LaGrange Daily News reported Brown and Bartolotta were in the 2015 Honda Accord. Although officials from the Georgia State Patrol have not identified who was driving the vehicle, The LaGrange Daily News cited Troup County Coroner Erin Hackley, who told the newspaper that Brown was driving the car.
Young said a specialized crash reconstruction team is investigating the accident and a report on the crash is not yet available. LaGrange College President Susanna Baxter said her school is also in mourning.
“We will walk through this together as a campus family with God as our strength,” Baxter said in the statement released by the school. “Please support one another as the caring community that I know we are.”
Brown earned the win in relief during LaGrange College’s 10-7 victory over N.C. Wesleyan on Saturday, clinching the USA South Tournament championship. According to the school’s website, Bartolatta was from Palm City, Florida.
