On June 25, 2026, the Seattle Orcas put on a batting masterclass during Match 9 of Major League Cricket (MLC) 2026 at the Oakland Coliseum. Defeating the Washington Freedom by 88 runs, Seattle catapulted themselves into the No. 2 spot on the MLC points table. Coming into the 15th over, the Seattle Orcas sat at a stable but unthreatening 138/3. While a score around 200 was expected, Orcas captain Marcus Stoinis shifted into "Hulk mode" in the 17th over. Facing the medium-pace bowling of Ian Holland, Stoinis targeted the straight boundaries with ruthless precision. Holland continuously missed his lengths, offering slower ball leg-cutters and full deliveries that Stoinis easily read and delayed his swing to launch over long-off.

On the final ball of the 16th over, Shimron Hetmyer hit a towering six. Stoinis then took strike for the 17th over and hit four consecutive sixes. Despite a dot ball on delivery five, his final-ball six completed a sequence where Washington Freedom conceded 36 runs via boundaries in a span of just 7 deliveries. Stoinis began by launching a full delivery over long-on, followed by a straight hit for a second maximum off a full toss. Showing immense power, he slogged a slower ball over mid-wicket for the third six and delayed his swing on a leg-cutter to power the fourth over long-off. After missing a wide fifth-ball yorker, Stoinis capped the over by clobbering an overpitched final delivery cleanly over the sight-screen for a fifth six, shattering the bowling figures.

Seattle Orcas win over Washington Freedom by 88 runs

During the first innings of Match 9 in MLC 2026, the Seattle Orcas posted a colossal 227/6 against Washington Freedom. The explosive performance was anchored by an unbeaten 79* off just 33 balls from Shimron Hetmyer, who battered the bowlers with relentless boundary-hitting. Skipper Marcus Stoinis injected massive momentum during the death overs, blasting a quickfire 42 off 16 balls. The highlight of their partnership came in the 17th over, where Stoinis dismantled medium-pacer Ian Holland for 30 runs, smashing five towering sixes. Hetmyer completed the late-innings onslaught by hitting three consecutive sixes off Marco Jansen in the final over, leaving the Washington Freedom bowling unit completely shell-shocked.

Chasing a massive target of 228, the Washington Freedom batting lineup collapsed under immense pressure, bundled out for just 139 runs in 16.2 overs. Local American fast bowler Jasdeep Singh delivered a career-defining performance, tearing through the top order to claim historic figures of 5/24. He dismissed heavyweights Steven Smith, Andries Gous, and Glenn Maxwell for a golden duck, reducing Washington to a staggering 42/5 inside the powerplay. While a late rear-guard fightback from Amila Aponso, who scored an aggressive 31* off 13 balls, helped save face, the damage was already done. The clinical bowling display sealed a dominant 88-run victory for the Seattle Orcas.