‘We blew it’: Reigning champions Perth Scorchers bundled out of Women’s Big Bash League

The Perth Scorchers have been bundled out of the Women’s Big Bash League, ending their season with three straight losses.

The Perth Scorchers have been bundled out of the Women’s Big Bash League, ending their season with three consecutive defeats to narrowly miss the finals series.

Having started their 2022 campaign with three straight wins, the reigning champions were considered among the favourites to lift the title this season, along with the star-studded Sydney Sixers.

But the ladies in orange lost five of their last six regular season matches, slipping down to fifth on the ladder.

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The Scorchers’ season ended with a heartbreaking final-over loss to the Melbourne Renegades in regional Victoria on Sunday, a rain-affected contest in Moe that went down to the wire.

The Renegades, who at one stage were reeling at 4/15, needed eight runs from the final over of the run chase, with Erica Kershaw slapping back-to-back boundaries off South Africa’s Marizanne Kapp to seal the upset.

It comes less than 24 hours after the Scorchers lost to the Melbourne Stars by six runs at the same venue on Saturday.

“We showed our potential, but we never clicked as a whole unit,” Scorchers captain Sophie Devine told ABC Grandstand after the defeat, their third consecutive loss.

“We’re really disappointed. Put it simply, we blew it.”

Sophie Devine of the Scorchers. Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Scorchers wicketkeeper Beth Mooney once again finished the home-and-away season as the tournament’s highest run-scorer with 434 at 43.40.

The talented left-hander remains the leading run-getter in WBBL history with 4108 at 46.68, including 36 fifties and two centuries.

Scorchers leg-spinner Alan King also impressed with the ball this season, taking 17 wickets at 16.00 with an economy rate of 5.91.

“It’s disappointing,” Nitschke said after Sunday’s loss.

“We were pretty disappointing on Saturday too but gave ourselves a chance to, if we won today, potentially make it through to the four depending on some other results.

“But with the way today has played out, that’s not going to happen for us.

“It’s really disappointing after having a pretty good year last year to not scrape through, but unfortunately we probably haven’t played good enough cricket for long enough this tournament, that’s how I’d sum it up.”

Lilly Mills of the Scorchers. Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Elsewhere in the WBBL on Sunday, the Sixers defeated the Hurricanes by eight wickets at North Sydney Oval to finish the regular season with 11 wins.

Sixers captain Ellyse Perry (56 not out off 39 balls) and all-rounder Ash Gardner (45 not out off 29 balls) combined for an unbeaten 88-run partnership for the third wicket to chase the 157-run target with seven balls to spare.

Meanwhile, the Brisbane Heat’s clash with the Melbourne Stars in Moe ended as a No Result due to weather.

Having comfortably topped the ladder, the Sixers will host the WBBL Final at North Sunday Oval on Saturday, with the first ball scheduled for 5.20pm.

The ladies in pink will face either the Heat, Hurricanes or Adelaide Strikers in the tournament finale.