Sammi Kane Kraft, 20, whose real-life baseball skills landed her the role of the pitching ace in the only film she ever made, 2005's Bad News Bears, died Tuesday in a car accident in Los Angeles.
She was a passenger in an Audi that was speeding about 1:30 a.m. when it rear-ended a big rig and was then struck by another car, according to the California Highway Patrol.
She was pronounced dead at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, her brother Frankie said.
Molly Kate Adams, 21, the driver of the Audi, was treated for moderate injuries and arrested on suspicion of felony drunken driving, the CHP said. The two other drivers escaped without major injury.
Miss Kraft secured the part of Amanda Whurlitzer, played with gusto by Tatum O'Neal in the 1976 original film, after throwing a 75-m.p.h. fastball during a casting call, the Daily News of Los Angeles reported in 2005.
Miss Kraft, who was born Livingston, N.J., grew up with two brothers in a baseball-playing family. After graduating from high school in 2010, she attended college, started a folk-country-rock band, and later performed solo at small venues.
In addition to her brother, Miss Kraft is survived by her parents, Shelly and Lulu Kane Kraft; another brother, Bobby; and a grandfather. - Los Angeles Times
