The opener carried her bat, whacked 12 boundaries and just generally oozed class.
But despite her wonderful effort, Central Districts pair Kate Broadmore (81) and Michelle Bunkall (55) threatened to steal victory with a gutsy sixth-wicket stand of 90.
With four overs remaining, the Hinds were 206 for five and needed a further 45 runs to pull off a fabulous win.
That fabulous win slipped away in the space of six deliveries from Otago allrounder Leigh Kasperek.
She claimed the key wicket of Broadmore, who holed out at cow corner from the first ball of the 47th over. Anlo van Deventer nicked out four balls later and then Emma Nicholson was run out without facing to complete a nightmare over for Central.
The Hinds finished up with 235 for nine.
Kasperek's over turned the match but probably no-one was more relieved than Bates, who basically single-handedly dragged her team through to 250 for seven.
She combined with Katey Martin (33) in partnership of 63 for the third-wicket but otherwise had to endure a steady procession of new batsmen joining her at the crease.
''She was absolutely sensational,'' coach Warren Lees said.
''It is just a continuation of her great form. She is showing all the players in this competition ... how far above all the other teams she really is.
''She is magnificent at the moment.''
While the game had a close finish, Lees felt his side was always in control. Central got behind on the required run rate and needed 87 from the final 10 overs.
''Even though it looked a bit panicky at the end, it really wasn't because they had to keep scoring,'' Lees said.
The win meant the Sparks swept the three-game series which also included a twenty20 fixture.
The Sparks' next assignment is against Northern Districts in Alexandra in the new year.
Northern had its first one-day win this season with a 17-run victory against Wellington in Lincoln yesterday. In the other game Canterbury beat Auckland by 67-runs. Canterbury captain Amy Satterthwaite made 136.
