Washington Freedom suffered a heavy defeat at the Oakland Coliseum as San Francisco Unicorns chased down 191 in emphatic fashion, sealing victory with 29 balls to spare.

Batting first, Freedom posted a competitive 190/4, with Andries Gous anchoring the innings superbly with an unbeaten 83 off 50 deliveries. Walking in at No. 3 after an early wicket, Gous held the innings together with a composed and well-paced knock.

Mitch Owen provided early momentum in trademark fashion with a quickfire 39 off 20, while a crucial 59-run fourth-wicket stand between Gous and Nikhil Chaudhary helped rebuild the innings and inject impetus through the middle overs. Their partnership ensured Freedom had a solid platform and a total that looked competitive at the halfway stage.

That, however, was quickly put into perspective by a relentless Unicorns batting display.

San Francisco came out with intent and immediately took control, racing to 104/1 in the Powerplay. This was the first time in MLC history a team has crossed the 100-run mark in the opening six overs. Lhuan-dre Pretorius led the charge with a blistering 66 off 26, while Finn Allen struck 45 from just 18 deliveries to break the game open early.

Nikhil Chaudhary and Marco Jansen picked up a wicket apiece, but the damage had already been done. Matthew Short and Aaron Hardie carried the chase through with unbeaten knocks as the Unicorns closed on 193/2 in just 15.1 overs.

It was a difficult outing for Freedom, who will now look to regroup and respond in the games ahead.