Two collegiate baseball players were killed in a tragic head-on accident on a Georgia highway on Saturday, just hours after their team won the conference championship.
Stephen Bartolotta, 18, and Jacob Brown, 19, of LaGrange College, were killed in a car accident on Roanoke Road in LaGrange at 9:15 p.m, according to the Georgia State Patrol.
Brown, who was on the mound for Saturday’s game, was driving when he attempted to overtake a car in front of him by crossing the double yellow line, but instead collided with a pickup truck traveling in the other way, according to police.
Rico Dunn, 24, the driver of the pickup truck, was also killed in the crash. Brown and Bartolotta were both declared dead at the scene.
Dunn, who had celebrated his sister’s birthday earlier that day, was transported to a local hospital and died of his injuries early Sunday morning, according to WSB-TV.
“I am profoundly saddened to inform you that we lost two students last night,” LaGrange Campus President Dr. Susanna Baxter wrote in a message to the college community on Sunday. “In a horrific vehicle accident, baseball players Stephen Bartolotta and Jacob Brown were both slain.”
The two pitchers and their Division III club, the LaGrange College Panthers, had just defeated North Carolina Wesleyan to win the USA South Tournament for the seventh time in a row. The Panthers received an automatic berth to the next NCAA Division III national tournament as a result of their victory.
“This news strikes our baseball players especially hard after the team’s conference championship triumph yesterday,” Baxter added. “There are just no words.”
