Washington Freedom’s third game of the season ended in disappointment at the Oakland Coliseum, as Seattle Orcas secured an 88-run victory.

After Freedom opted to bowl first, Seattle raced to 59 without loss in the Powerplay. We responded well to pull things back, reducing the Orcas to 79/2 at the halfway mark with timely breakthroughs.

Seattle regained control in the closing overs through Shimron Hetmyer’s unbeaten 79* (33) and a quickfire cameo from captain Marcus Stoinis, finishing on 227/6. Marco Jansen led our bowling effort with 3/33, while Ian Holland picked up two wickets.

Chasing 228, we were dealt an early blow with both openers back in the pavilion inside the first three overs. The innings slipped further in the fifth over when Jasdeep Singh struck three times, leaving us with too much to recover from.

Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals as we were eventually bowled out for 139.

Freedom will have the chance to respond quickly, with back-to-back fixtures at the same venue against Texas Super Kings on Saturday and San Francisco Unicorns on Sunday.