Hartselle girls help travel team win world series

Hartselle’s Maddie White and Hope Cain, from left, are members of Explosion ’97, a USFA 14-U B softball travel team that won a World Series championship in Panama City, Fla. July 17-23. Greg Cain helps coach the team.

Two Hartselle girls—Hope Cain and Maddie White—are members of the USFA 14U B World Series champion Explosion ’97 softball team.

They and their teammates came out on top by defeating Arkansas Fusion ‘97 by a score of 4-3, after losing to the same team 1-6 in the first game of the championship round. The team’s record in the event was 10-1 while competing against 47 other teams from 14 different states.

Cain pitched all seven innings of the championship game and finished the tournament with a 5-0 record. White, a catcher/shortstop, batted .308 in the tournament.

Explosion ’97, based in Athens, compiled a 30-7 overall record during the summer season. It also won the USSSA 14U Alabama State Championship in Cullman and won two tournaments while competing in the 16U division.

Cain, who is also a utility player, compiled a 15-2 pitching record for the summer while White batted .509 with 22 RBIs.