Mooney 94* seals finals spot for Scorchers, Heat finish tournament winless

Beth Mooney has led Perth Scorchers back into the WBBL finals, executing the perfect chase against Brisbane Heat and ending Melbourne Renegades' title defence in the process.

Needing 165 for victory in a must-win game at the WACA on Saturday, Mooney hit an unbeaten 94 from 61 to help Perth reach the target with seven wickets and four balls to spare. The victory ensured the Scorchers would have a home final, knocked the Renegades out of the top four and handed the Heat the first winless season in WBBL history.

With one game to play in the season, Hobart are guaranteed top spot and hosting rights for next Saturday night's final at Ninja Stadium. Perth and the Melbourne Stars are also locked into finals spots, with the winner of the Sydney Sixers and Adelaide at North Sydney Oval on Sunday morning to join them.

The WBBL's finals system has third and fourth face off in eliminator on Tuesday, before the winner of that plays against second on Thursday for a spot in the final.

The Stars could have wrapped up second spot on Saturday morning had they beaten the Sydney Thunder at Junction Oval, only for them to be well beaten. Instead Perth are now in second, and will stay there if the Strikers beat the Sixers on Sunday.

Facing a tricky chase after Georgia Redmayne's 57 helped the Heat to 164 for 7, Mooney took control of the game at the WACA. Australia's veteran opener regularly picked balls up off her pads and hit them over the legside to the rope, hitting 12 boundaries in a near-flawless knock. The Scorchers' chase threatened to wobble late when Maddy Darke (24) and Sophie Devine (13) fell, but Mooney held her nerve and Freya Kemp's late hitting saw Perth home.

The leading run-scorer in WBBL history, Mooney now has scores of 105, 75 and 94* for the season and will enter the finals as one of the league's most dangerous players.