It was another high-scoring fixture in the Major League (MLC) 2026 as Seattle Orcas chased down 217 against Washington Freedom with utmost ease. Their charge was led by Tim Seifert (78 off 33), who also scored a century in the previous game. South African batter Matthew Breetzke also smashed 66 off just 36 to further put his side in command. However, the Orcas needed a late blitz from Dasun Shanaka (36* off 12) as Orcas chased the target down by five wickets and 14 balls to spare.
Seattle put up 78 in the powerplay that kick-started their chase in an incredible fashion. However, from 171/2, they lost three wickets for eight runs in nine deliveries. In the end, Shanaka ensured that the Orcas did not lose more wickets and got his side home.
After being put into bat, Freedom slammed 216 in their 20 over, thanks to fifties from Mitchell Owen (61 off 25) and Mark Chapman (57 off 24). Andries Gous, too, slammed a useful 35 off 21 to push Freedom past 200. Ottneil Baartman picked up four wickets, while Dhanaka picked up three to go with his impressive show with the bat.
With this win, the Orcas get off the mark after losing their opening game against the Texas Super Kings. This was Washington’s first match of the season. The Orcas will hope to add to their win when they take on Los Angeles Knight Riders on June 22. Freedom will hope to get off the mark when they take on defending champions MI New York on June 21.
Brief scores:
Washington Freedom 216 in 20 overs (Mitchell Owen 61, Mark Chapman 57; Ottneil Baartman 4/33) lost to Seattle Orcas 219/5 in 17.4 overs (Tim Seifert 78, Matthew Breetzke 66; Ian Holland 2/20) by 5 wickets
Player of the Match: Ottneil Baartman
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