The Renegades dug their way out of a big hole at 4-20 to reach 6-136 at the WACA Ground in Perth on Saturday night, but it wasn't enough to prevent the Scorchers from strolling to victory with 39 balls to spare.
The 'Gades suffered a top-order collapse, losing 4-5 in the space of 14 deliveries.
Seamer Chloe Ainsworth (2-22) and Pakistan allrounder Fatima Sana (2-27), impressing in her WBBL debut, were the power-play destroyers for Perth.
West Indies captain Hayley Matthews (7), Australian skipper Sophie Molineux (1) and Courtney Webb (6) succumbed within eight balls of each other, before legspinner Alana King dismissed Tess Flintoff (2) with her first delivery.
Georgia Wareham (62) and wicketkeeper Nicole Faltum (48) rescued the visitors from complete humiliation, combining for a club-record fifth-wicket partnership of 109.
The Scorchers lost Katie Mack (9) early in the chase, but captain Beth Mooney (58no) and former skipper Sophie Devine (47no) were completely untroubled.
Devine applied the finishing touches when she heaved Wareham for back-to-back sixes to raise victory.
In the earlier game, the Adelaide Strikers defied the absence of their two premier seam bowlers to start their campaign with a 21-run win over the Melbourne Stars.
After posting 2-185 at Karen Rolton Oval, the Strikers - without Megan Schutt (suspended for a prescription medication breach) and Darcie Brown (back injury) - held the Stars to 7-164.
With Adelaide's pace aces sidelined, legspinner Amanda Jade-Wellington (3-28), seamer Eleanor Larosa (2-23) and left-arm orthodox tweaker Sophie Ecclestone (2-25) stepped up to cut the visitors down.
Melbourne's chase started strongly, with Rhys McKenna (40) and captain Meg Lanning (32) putting on 77 for the first wicket before Wellington sparked a collapse.
She trapped Lanning lbw, then dismissed Amy Jones (2) thanks to England star Ecclestone's one-handed hanger at mid-off.
"So pleased for the girls to get that first win and start our season well here," Wellington told Fox Cricket.
"I feel like those two players (Schutt and Brown) are massive for our team.
"We went out there and showed what we can do without those girls."
Earlier, South African Laura Wolvaardt (70), skipper Tahlia McGrath (43no) and Madeline Penna (36no off 13 balls) carried the Strikers to their equal second-highest score ever.
After Wolvaardt and McGrath put on 82 for the second wicket, Penna entered and clubbed four fours and three sixes in a whirlwind cameo, as Adelaide blasted 76 off the last five overs, including 42 from the last two.
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