San Francisco Unicorns Dominate Seattle Orcas, Secure MLC 2025 Playoff Spot with Undefeated Streak

The San Francisco Unicorns secured their place in the MLC 2025 playoffs with a dominant 32-run victory over the Seattle Orcas in Dallas on Wednesday night. This win extends their undefeated streak to six matches and solidifies their position at the top of the league standings. In contrast, the Orcas suffered their fifth consecutive loss, remaining at the bottom of the table.

Celebration erupts as the San Francisco Unicorns secure their playoff spot after a convincing win over the Seattle Orcas.

Captain Matthew Short and Romario Shepherd delivered outstanding all-round performances, while Haris Rauf's four-wicket haul further propelled the Unicorns to victory.

Opting to bat first, the Unicorns faced an early setback with the loss of Finn Allen in the second over. However, Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matt Short forged a crucial 68-run partnership for the second wicket, providing stability and momentum to the innings. Fraser-McGurk's brisk 34 off 21 balls ended in the eighth over, falling to left-arm spinner Harmeet Singh, triggering a mini-collapse that saw the Unicorns slump from 86 for 1 to 103 for 6. Short, who had smashed seven fours and two sixes during his explosive 29-ball innings, departed for 52 after being dismissed by Harmeet.

Romario Shepherd then took center stage, smashing four sixes and four fours in a blistering 56 off 31 balls. His explosive hitting propelled the Unicorns to a competitive total of 176 for 8. Gerald Coetzee also contributed with 3 for 34, claiming important middle-order wickets.

Despite a promising start to their chase, the Orcas fell short, failing to secure their first win of the season.

Shayan Jahangir provided early impetus, scoring a rapid 40 off 22 balls. However, Shepherd struck a crucial blow by dismissing Jahangir in the seventh over.

In the following over, Matt Short claimed two vital wickets, removing both David Warner and Kyle Mayers. The Orcas struggled to recover from these early setbacks, losing wickets at regular intervals. Shimron Hetmyer and Sujit Nayak attempted to rebuild the innings, but their efforts were short-lived. Haris Rauf, who had earlier dismissed Heinrich Klaasen, sealed the victory by dismissing Coetzee and Hetmyer in the 16th over and Cameron Gannon in the 18th, finishing with impressive figures of 4 for 32.

Brief Scores:

San Francisco Unicorns: 176 for 8 (Romario Shepherd 56, Matthew Short 52; Harmeet Singh 3-22, Gerald Coetzee 3-34)

Seattle Orcas: 144 all out (Shayan Jahangir 40; Haris Rauf 4-32, Short 3-12)