Waconia High School athlete Alexis "Lexi" Kretsch died Friday of injuries suffered in a car crash near Mankato the day before.
On Thursday evening, Kretsch was driving northbound on Hwy. 169 and swerved to avoid a car crossing the highway at the intersection with Blue Earth County Road 33. Kretsch's Chevy Blazer went off the highway and rolled, according the State Patrol. The two people in the other car were uninjured.
The 16-year-old was a softball pitcher and volleyball player for Waconia High School, and a pitcher for the Minnesota Vortex.
"Lexi was an outstanding pitcher on the Minnesota Vortex 16U '99 Elite Softball team and the Waconia H.S. Varsity team," the Vortex said in a statement. "This is a tragic, and devastating, loss of life that is difficult to comprehend."
Kretsch's Vortex team went ahead and played their game Saturday morning.
Vortex coach Bob Mochinski told KSTP-TV that knowing Kretsch's competitive spirit, the choice was clear. "Five minutes before game-time through all of their tears, they said let's go play ball," Mochinski said.
The Vortex won 8-2.
The fundraising website Giveforward said, "In keeping with her kind and generous spirit, Alexis had elected to be an organ donor."
