The Sydney Sixers' WBBL campaign is in free-fall after they slumped to a five-wicket loss to the Adelaide Strikers in a grand final rematch at the WACA.
The Perth Scorchers (4-2) have joined Adelaide at the top of the table after posting a six-wicket win over the struggling Melbourne Renegades (1-5).
In reply to the Sixers' meagre 6-111 in 34-degree heat in Perth on Friday, Adelaide cruised to victory with 17 balls to spare courtesy of solid knocks from Katie Mack (50 off 45 balls) and Tahlia McGrath (36 off 29).
The result left the Sixers - last season's runners-up - on the bottom of the table with a woeful 1-5 record in a campaign that features 14 matches per side.
The Sixers' innings never got going, with Suzie Bates' poor form continuing.
The New Zealand international was dismissed for eight when she swatted spinner Amanda-Jade Wellington to mid-on.
It continued a worrying run of form from Bates, who has posted scores of 6, 5, 3, 10, 18 and 8 this season.
Sixers star Ellyse Perry (14) was clean bowled by a brilliant delivery from Danielle Gibson, while Ashleigh Gardner departed for 25 when Annie O'Neil took a sharp catch jumping high at mid-wicket.
Maitlan Brown top-scored for the Sixers with an unbeaten 32 off 28 balls, but the total was well short of a par score at the WACA.
Gibson was the stand-out bowler with figures of 1-13 from her four overs, while Wellington and Anesu Mushangwe snared two wickets apiece.
In the second match of Friday's double-header, Beth Mooney and Sophie Devine teed off as the Scorchers posted a six-wicket win over the Renegades with 16 balls to spare.
Harmanpreet Kaur scored an unbeaten 52 off 49 balls and ruffled the feathers of Devine in the process as the Renegades posted 6-171.
In reply, Mooney (59no off 44 balls) and Devine (52 off 31 balls) made light work of the run chase.
The Scorchers smacked 36 off the two-over Power Surge to turn the contest in their favour, with Devine cracking three consecutive sixes off Hayley Matthews.
It capped an eventful night for Mooney, who was left fuming earlier in the game when she had to re-bowl a delivery after Kaur claimed she wasn't ready.
The incident sparked Devine, who pulled off two impressive run-outs to get rid of Georgia Wareham (44) and Georgia Prestwidge (8).
Devine made a slow start with the bat, but she wowed the crowd when she finally got going as both her and Mooney combined to put the Renegades' attack to the sword.
"I probably got a little bit too emotional and a little bit too wound up there. I probably needed to rein it in a little bit," Devine told channel 7 after the match.
"But batting with the likes of Beth Mooney who is just so calm and composed - I'm just proud of the group to be able to put on a really good performance in front of an awesome crowd here at the WACA."
