Seattle Orcas 169 for 6 (Hetmyer 78, Bartlett 2-24) beat San Francisco Unicorns 168 for 5 (Krishnamurthi 41, Fraser-McGurk 35, Desai 2-32) by four wickets*
Shimron Hetmyer once again showcased his match-winning form, hammering an unbeaten 78 off 37 balls to secure a thrilling win for the Seattle Orcas over the San Francisco Unicorns in MLC 2025. This marked the Orcas’ third straight victory, handing the Unicorns their second defeat in a row.
Early Wickets Rock Orcas’ Chase
Chasing 169, the Orcas had a shaky start. Xavier Bartlett removed Steven Taylor for a ten-ball duck before dismissing Kyle Mayers in his next over.
“𝑾𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒚,” 𝑯𝒆𝒕𝒎𝒚𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒅𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒅.
A 38-run stand between Shayan Jahangir and Sikandar Raza brought some stability. But the game turned again when both fell off consecutive balls in the tenth over, leaving Orcas floundering at 56 for 4.
Hetmyer Takes Charge With Explosive Knock
Stepping in under pressure, Hetmyer wasted no time finding his rhythm, launching two sixes within his first three deliveries. Even as wickets continued to tumble, he maintained his aggressive approach.
“𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒚 𝒂𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆,” 𝑯𝒆𝒕𝒎𝒚𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅.
He cruised to a half-century off just 23 balls, drilling a straight six to bring up the milestone.
With 30 runs needed from the last three overs, Hetmyer hammered Brody Couch over deep backward square leg and then punished Bartlett, reducing the target to eight runs in the final over.
He sealed the chase in style, smashing Romario Shepherd for a towering 102-meter six over long-on and finishing the job with a couple of singles and three balls to spare.
Unicorns Post Competitive Total
Earlier, after being put in to bat, the Unicorns stumbled early when Harmeet Singh dismissed Matthew Short with his fourth delivery. Jake Fraser-McGurk counter-attacked with three consecutive fours, combining with Finn Allen for a brisk 49-run partnership.
Ayan Desai struck in the final over of the powerplay, removing Allen, while Raza accounted for Fraser-McGurk soon after.
Sanjay Krishnamurthi stepped up with a powerful knock, smashing Waqar Salamkheil for back-to-back sixes and then clearing the ropes twice more against Raza, lifting Unicorns to 94 for 3 after ten overs.
“𝑾𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 168 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒌,” 𝑲𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒖𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒊 𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅.
But the Orcas tightened the screws, conceding only 34 runs across the next seven overs and dismissing Krishnamurthi along the way. Romario Shepherd’s late sixes pushed the Unicorns beyond 165, but ultimately, Hetmyer proved too good.
Orcas Turn Their Season Around
This victory marked the Orcas’ third triumph following a five-match losing streak. For the Unicorns, who had won six consecutive games before, the defeat made it two losses in as many outings.
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