Just hours after welcoming her first child into the world, Hobart Hurricanes captain Nicola Carey produced a brilliant all-round performance only to be denied a fairytale victory in extraordinary circumstances against the Melbourne Renegades at Ninja Stadium on Wednesday night.
In one of the most dramatic finishes in WBBL history, the defending champions were left heartbroken when a final-ball no-ball handed the Renegades a four-wicket victory, leaving the Hurricanes winless after three matches in their WBBL|12 title defence.
Carey, who welcomed son Louis with partner and former Hurricanes captain Elyse Villani early on Wednesday morning, marked her 150th WBBL appearance with a superb 62 from 43 balls and figures of 2-30, almost dragging her side to a remarkable victory.
However, after seemingly forcing the contest into a Super Over with the scores locked at 154, the Hurricanes were left shattered when a third-umpire review revealed wicketkeeper Lizelle Lee had collected the final delivery millimetres in front of the stumps.
The infringement resulted in a no-ball and handed the Renegades their first victory of the tournament, in a bitter blow for a Hurricanes outfit which had fought desperately to keep its title defence alive.
Earlier, Carey had rescued the home side from a disastrous start after Renegades captain Sophie Molineux tore through the top order.
After being sent in, the Hurricanes slumped to 2-8 following the early departures of Lee (6) and Rachel Trenaman (0), before Chamari Athapaththu (9) also fell cheaply.
Carey took charge of the rebuilding effort, striking 10 boundaries in an impressive innings which provided the backbone of Hobart's total of 7-154.
She found support from Maddy Green (17), before West Indian powerhouse Chinelle Henry unleashed a blistering late assault to give the Hurricanes something to defend.
Henry smashed 36 from just 18 deliveries, including seven boundaries, as the home side recovered from 4-66 in the 12th over to post a competitive total.
Player of the match Molineux was the standout for the visitors, finishing with 4-22 from her four overs.
The Hurricanes' task became more difficult when Henry was restricted to just one over with an injury complaint, leaving the bowling attack without one of its key weapons.
Despite an early breakthrough, the Renegades appeared to be cruising towards victory as Hayley Matthews (59 from 44 balls) and Courtney Webb (29) combined for a 69-run partnership.
At 1-101 in the 13th over, the visitors looked firmly in control before the Hurricanes launched a stirring fightback.
Molly Strano produced a spectacular one-handed caught-and-bowled dismissal to remove Molineux, while Heather Graham delivered a crucial breakthrough when she bowled the dangerous Matthews.
Graham was outstanding with the ball, claiming 3-24, while Carey continued her remarkable individual performance with two wickets as the Renegades 5-37.
With 33 required from the final four overs, the contest remained on a knife's edge before a fielding restriction penalty added another twist to an already dramatic finish.
The Hurricanes were restricted to just two fielders outside the circle for the final three deliveries after falling behind the required over rate.
With five needed from the final two balls, Deandra Dottin edged Carey for four to level the scores, before the final-ball controversy cruelly denied the home side an opportunity to fight for victory in a Super Over.
The defeat leaves the Hurricanes with plenty of work ahead as they search for their first win of the season, but their spirited fightback provided a glimpse of the resilience which carried them to last summer's historic championship.
For Carey, it was an extraordinary performance on an unforgettable day personally, even if the result denied the new mother the perfect ending.