Strikers snap streak against Stars

The Adelaide Strikers have snapped their three-game losing streak and moved back into the Rebel WBBL top four with a 22-run victory over the Melbourne Stars at Casey Fields.

Defending 5-144, the Strikers were staring down the barrel when hard-hitting South African opener Lizelle Lee (44) and Anna Lanning (24) got the Stars off to a bright start.

Mignon du Preez tried to pick up where Lee left off after she was caught off player-of-the-match Alex Price's bowling, making 16 off just nine, but when she and Lanning were both dismissed with the Stars on 92, there was little support from the rest of the order.

With the asking rate escalating, a horror 5-7 collapse from the Stars in the space of 14 deliveries, which included three ducks, dented any hope of a last-ditch triumph.

Price took care of the top order with a career-best 2-21, while New Zealand's Sophie Devine (2-10) and spearhead Megan Schutt (2-23) took care of the rest.

Earlier, Strikers pair Tammy Beaumont (46) and Sophie Devine (44) overcame the bizarre early loss of skipper Suzie Bates, who trod on her stumps, to set the Strikers up.

Bridget Patterson stroked a typically aggressive undefeated 22 to keep the scoring rate moving along for the visitors.

English allrounder Georgia Elwiss (2-22) was the pick of the bowlers for the seventh-placed Stars, who will have to regroup quickly for Saturday's derby against the Melbourne Renegades at the MCG to be any hope of playing finals.