The Adelaide Strikers have put a severe dent in the WBBL finals hopes of the Perth Scorchers with a 30-run win on Tuesday night.
The Strikers posted 6-169, with Laura Wolvaardt (48 from 28 balls), Smitri Mandhana (41 from 29) and Katie Mack (41 from 34) the chief contributors at Adelaide's Karen Rolton Oval.
Perth managed 8-139 after slumping to 4-17 amid a Megan Schutt (3-19) masterclass, leaving their finals chances hanging precariously.
With two games left, the Scorchers remain in fifth spot with eight points and they trail fourth-placed Hobart Hurricanes (eight points) by a sizeable run rate difference.
Adelaide, champions of the past two tournaments, climbed from bottom of the ladder to seventh - they have six points but just one match remaining.
Perth sent Adelaide in to bat and Strikers openers Mandhana and Mack made an instant impact, whacking 40 from the initial four overs.
They reached 81 in the 10th over when Mandhana was caught at mid off from the bowling of Sophie Devine (2-28), ending a knock featuring five fours and a six.
Just eight balls later, Mack advanced down the pitch but was beaten by a perfectly flighted delivery from legspinner Alana King and was stumped.
Wolvaardt soon took centre stage with her rapid-fire innings featuring three fours and three sixes - two from consecutive balls from Chloe Ainsworth (1-40).
The South African was caught on the cover boundary with three balls remaining and tweaker King finished with another stumping on the last ball, giving her figures of 3-29.
Perth's run chase began terribly with Maddy Darke bowled by Schutt second ball.
And in the third over, Schutt struck with consecutive deliveries, dismissing Dayalan Hemalatha (10) and bowling Amy Edgar for a golden duck with a top-shelf inswinger, to boast figures of 3-6.
Schutt was denied a hat-trick by Perth stalwart Beth Mooney, who fell in the next over for six as the Scorchers crashed to 4-17 from 3.3 overs.
Skipper Devine (35 from 31 balls) and Brooke Halliday (47 from 44) rallied but the task was beyond them.
