Sammi Kane Kraft Dead: 'Bad News Bears' Actress Dies in Tragic Car Crash at 20

Sammi Kane Kraft, the avid baseball fan and player who starred in a 2005 remake of the classic film "Bad News Bears," died in a tragic car crash early Tuesday morning (Oct. 9) in California. She was 20 years old. The young woman who reprised Tatum O'Neal's famous role of fast-pitcher Amanda Whurlizer from 1976's baseball comedy was pronounced dead after being transferred to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in L.A.

According to a report in the "Los Angeles Times," California Highway Patrol announced that Kraft was a passenger in an Audi that was speeding down the 10 Freeway in L.A. at approximately 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. The vehicle was rear-ended by a large truck and then hit by another car. The drivers of the other two vehicles escaped unscathed. Kraft's friend driving the Audi, 21-year-old Molly Kate Adams, suffered moderate injuries - police arrested her on suspicion of drunk driving.

The revamped version of "Bad News Bears" (starring Billy Bob Thornton) was the only film Kraft has appeared in. Her ability to pitch a 75 mph fastball ultimately landed her the role of tough girl Amanda Whurlitzer. Kraft told the "New York Daily News" in 2005: "I could never fill Tatum O'Neal's shoes, but I tried to make the role my own. I added a bit of the New York in me. A little toughness, a little bit of smart-ass."

After her brief moment in the Hollywood spotlight, Kraft later enrolled at Santa Monica College. She was a singer and a guitarist who frequently performed small intimate shows at venues throughout the L.A. area. Her brother Frankie claims that the night of the fatal crash, Kraft was actually returning from a concert. She had been trying to network with other bands.

Brother Frankie Kraft remembers his sister as an optimistic and outgoing young woman; he told the "Los Angeles Times" - "She always wore a smile and was hilarious. She loved characters, did amazing Robert De Niro impressions and never took anything too seriously."