Carver Co. crash ends season for college pitcher
Two pitchers for the St. Cloud Rox, a collegiate summer league, were hospitalized after being involved in a two-vehicle crash on Highway 7 near Waconia.
The players had the day off Sunday and were on their way to visit Sawyer’s family in Waconia, according to several reports.
The Minnesota State Patrol said the car driven by Rox pitcher Dalton Sawyer, 19, attempted to cross the highway at Carver County Road 33 when it was struck by a pickup truck traveling east.
Sawyer and his passenger, fellow pitcher 18-year-old Kasey Ralston from Chaska, were hurt. The four passengers in the truck were not injured.
The Star Tribune reports Sawyer suffered a collapsed lung, broken rib and a concussion. Sawyer was in good condition Tuesday at Ridgeview Hospital, according to hospital spokesperson Sunni Hemingsen.
Ralston is in worse shape, the St. Cloud Times reported, suffering from a broken jaw, pelvis, several broken ribs, a collapsed lung and internal injuries. He's in critical condition at Hennepin County Medical Center.
The St. Cloud Times says Ralston will miss the remainder of the season, but doctors say he should make a full recovery.
"He is very fortunate to be alive and have his spinal cord intact with such an injury," Ralston's CaringBridge site reads. "The good news is that the doctor thinks he will recover completely from this injury--hopefully without surgery."
Ralston, a pitcher for Indiana University, played for Holy Family Catholic High School in Victoria and led the team to a state championship, FOX 9 reported. He had planned to transfer from the school.
Dalton graduated from Waconia High School and pitches for the Gophers. He just completed his freshman year at the university.
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