It was a cruel case of déjà vu for the Hobart Hurricanes as another final-ball thriller ended in heartbreak against the Adelaide Strikers at Ninja Stadium on Tuesday night.
Almost a week to the day after their extraordinary defeat to the Melbourne Renegades, the reigning WBBL champions suffered an eerily similar fate as Sophie Ecclestone struck the final delivery for four to condemn Hobart to a fifth consecutive loss in its title defence.
In an almost identical scenario to last Wednesday's dramatic finish, the Strikers required 12 runs from the final over and five from the last two deliveries, before Ecclestone lifted Molly Strano over mid-off with four needed from the final ball to seal a four-wicket victory.
The devastating result leaves the Hurricanes winless at the halfway mark of WBBL|12, with their hopes of reaching the finals now hanging by the barest of threads.
Earlier, returning captain Nicola Carey continued her outstanding individual form, producing another superb half-century to almost single-handedly carry the Hurricanes to a competitive total of 5-138.
Playing her first match since welcoming son Louis with partner Elyse Villani last week, Carey struck an unbeaten 66 from 53 deliveries, including nine boundaries, to record her second consecutive half-century.
In the process she not only passed 2000 career WBBL runs but also overtook Lizelle Lee as the Hurricanes leading run scorer.
However, the Hurricanes again struggled to generate momentum with the bat, with Lee (19) and Rachel Trenaman (nine) falling inside the powerplay.
Sri Lankan superstar Chamari Athapaththu endured another frustrating outing, managing just 10 from 26 deliveries before being retired out in the 12th over as Hobart desperately searched for a way to lift its scoring rate.
Carey took charge of the innings, accelerating superbly in the closing overs to give her bowlers something to defend, although no other Hurricanes batter managed to pass 20.
Adelaide's chase began brightly through openers Maia Bouchier (26) and Emma de Broughe (41), who put on 43 for the first wicket before Lauren Smith provided the breakthrough.
At 1-79 in the 11th over, the Strikers appeared to be cruising towards the modest target, but the hosts again refused to surrender without a fight.
Smith was outstanding with figures of 2-6 from her two overs, while young leg-spinner Isa Malgioglio removed de Broughe to keep the hosts in the contest.
Strano (2-30) and Carey (1-30) also struck important blows as the Hurricanes dragged themselves back into the contest, with the visitors needing 17 from the final two overs.
Carey conceded just five runs in the penultimate over and removed Ellie Johnston to leave the Strikers requiring 12 from the last six deliveries.
Strano then had the dangerous Laura Wolvaardt (27) caught at point with her second delivery, leaving Adelaide needing 10 from four balls and Hobart seemingly on the verge of finally breaking its drought.
But Ecclestone immediately swung the momentum back towards the visitors with a reverse-swept boundary, before two singles left the equation at four from the final delivery.
With the Hurricanes desperately hoping to avoid another agonising finish, the England international struck Strano over mid-off to the boundary to complete a remarkable escape and leave the home side shattered.
The result was another bitter pill to swallow for the Hurricanes, whose spirited bowling performances have twice brought them within touching distance of victory, only for the result to slip away at the final hurdle.
Hobart will now need a dramatic turnaround in the second half of the tournament to have any chance of extending its title defence into the finals.