The Sparks needed just four runs off 15 balls to claim victory over the Central Hinds in Napier on Saturday.
Enter Ashtuti Kumar.
The Hinds spinner snatched her first wicket at the end of the 16th over to start a Hinds onslaught.
White Ferns seamer Rosemary Mair removed Sparks captain Polly Inglis — who had been the hot hand with 41 off 22 — and conceded two runs in the next over.
Hinds captain Hannah Rowe leaked just one run in the 18th.
Kumar struck with her first ball of the 19th, removing Anna Browning, and bowled Emma Black with the next.
She finished with a double-wicket maiden and the Sparks were left needing three runs off the last over.
Flora Devonshire started with a dot, Eva Gray grabbed a run, and Anika Todd, in just her second game, guided a boundary for the Sparks to finish 126 for eight and steal a two-wicket win.
It was a good result for the Sparks, although they bowed out of playoff contention as they missed the bonus point.
Earlier, the Sparks restricted the Hinds to 123 for five.
Opener Bryony Smith skied it high and Devonshire was run out from a dynamite throw from Caitlin Blakely as the Hinds batters searched for three runs.
Grace Scrivens turned the game, smacking one delivery to the boundary and another down the ground.
Emma McLeod swept high but was removed by Black, who took a stunning catch dining forward.
Scrivens punished one down the ground and shimmied down the wicket for another to clear the ropes.
The English import stormed down the wicket again to bring up her half-century off 46 balls.
But she chopped on a Laura Harris delivery to be out for 55.
Rowe was out from a Blakely catch on the run in the deep.
In reply, Sparks openers PJ Watkins pierced the gap on the off side and Bella James crunched another.
But James was run out for nine as she attempted to race to the non-striker’s end.
Blakely came in at No 3 and timed her shots nicely to find the gap.
Watkins was trapped lbw for 15 by Scrivens, who also bowled Blakely for 23, to put the Sparks 66 for three.
Inglis arrived at the crease with a vision and she executed.
She smacked the ball around the ground and found the boundaries to push the Sparks ahead.
Inglis raced to 21 off eight balls and continued to cause headaches for the Hinds bowlers.
Harris holed out to Devonshire, Olivia Gain went soon after and Inglis was removed too.
Then came the rollercoaster of the final overs, but the Sparks held their nerve to win.
The Sparks finish with four wins, five losses and one no-result for the T20 season.
• The Northern Brave women beat Canterbury by 48 runs yesterday.
Nensi Patel scored 57 to guide Northern to 151 for seven, and grabbed two wickets as Canterbury were restricted to 103 for eight.
HINDS
B Smith c Watkins b Black 6 (11)
G Scrivens b Harris 55 (49)
F Devonshire run out (Blakely) 4 (5)
E McLeod c Black b Browning 7 (10)
H Rowe c Blakely b Deerness 15 (17)
K Tomlinson not out 13 (16)
R Mair not out 14 (13)
Extras (1b, 4lb, 3w, 1nb) 9
Total (for 5wkts, 20 overs) 123
Fall: 1-15, 2-25, 3-53, 4-93, 5-97.
Bowling: P Watkins 4-0-21-0, E Black 4-0-28-1, E Gray 3-0-20-0 (2w), C Deerness 4-0-19-1 (1nb, 1w), A Todd 2-0-12-0, A Browning 2-0-11-1, L Harris 1-7-0-1.
SPARKS
B James run out 9 (13)
P Watkins lbw b Scrivens 15 (21)
C Blakely b Scrivens 23 (23)
L Harris c Devonshire b Scrivens 9 (8)
P Inglis c Smith b Mair 41 (22)
O Gain c Pedersen b Kumar 11 (11)
A Browning c McLeod b Kumar 2 (6)
E Gray not out 2 (7)
E Black b Kumar 0 (1)
A Todd not out 4 (5)
Extras (1lb, 9w) 10
Total (for 8wkts, 19.3 overs) 126
Fall: 1-17, 2-50, 3-66, 4-87, 5-118, 6-118, 7-121, 8-121.
Bowling: R Mair 4-0-16-1 (2w), H Rowe 4-0-23-0 (1w), J Ogden 2-0-22-0 (1w), F Devonshire 2.3-0-30-0, A Kumar 3-1-12-3 (1w), G Scrivens 4-0-22-3.
Result: Sparks won by two wickets.
