KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Interstat) — Colson Montgomery’s two-run homer broke a third-inning tie and a parade of six Chicago White Sox relievers combined for 6 1/3 scoreless innings to secure a 6-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium, salvaging the final game of a four-game series.

The White Sox, who had been shut out in the previous two games, snapped a three-game skid and improved to 6-10. The Royals fell to 7-9.

The most important sequence of the game unfolded in the middle innings, transforming a back-and-forth contest into a bullpen duel. After the Royals erased an early 2-0 deficit with a three-run third inning, Montgomery answered immediately in the top of the fourth. Following a one-out single by Lenyn Sosa, the White Sox shortstop launched his third home run of the season to right field off Royals starter Noah Cameron, restoring Chicago’s lead at 4-3. The Royals tied it again in the bottom half on an RBI single by Isaac Collins, but Bobby Witt Jr.’s run-scoring single that gave Kansas City a brief 5-4 lead was immediately negated when he was caught stealing to end the inning.

That caught stealing proved pivotal, as it halted the Royals’ momentum and began a stretch of dominant relief pitching by Chicago. From that point forward, the White Sox bullpen, which entered the game after starter Sean Newcomb walked four in the third, allowed just two hits and three walks over the final five frames.

The White Sox added critical insurance runs via patience and small ball. They took the lead for good in the sixth without a hit, using two walks and a hit batter to force in a run with a bases-loaded walk by Andrew Benintendi. An RBI groundout by Edgar Quero in the seventh scored Dustin Harris, who led off the inning with a double, to make it 6-5.

That one-run margin was more than enough for Chicago’s relievers. Jordan Leasure (1-0) earned the win with 1 1/3 perfect innings. Bryan Hudson struck out the side in the sixth, Grant Taylor tossed two hitless innings, and Seranthony Domínguez worked a scoreless ninth for his third save, navigating around a two-out walk to Witt Jr. by striking out Vinnie Pasquantino swinging to end the game.

The Royals’ bullpen was equally effective until the sixth. John Schreiber (0-2) took the loss, charged with the deciding run in the sixth after issuing the walk to Benintendi. Royals relievers Nick Mears and Daniel Lynch IV also contributed scoreless outings.

Montgomery, mired in a 1-for-11 slump over the series’ first three games, was the offensive catalyst, going 2-for-3 with the home run, a double, two RBIs and two runs scored. His fourth-inning blast was the key hit in a game where the White Sox managed only seven hits but drew eight walks.

Tanner Murray also homered for Chicago, a two-run shot in the second inning that opened the scoring.

For Kansas City, Collins went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Witt Jr. drove in two runs, one via a walk and another with a single. The Royals went 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base.

The game defied pregame projections. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a 4-3 Royals victory, giving Kansas City a 66% probability to win as a 1.5-run favorite. The combined 11 runs went under the pregame over/under line of 9.

Attendance was 20,552 on a clear afternoon, and the game time was 2 hours, 47 minutes.

The White Sox travel home to open a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday. The Royals begin a six-game road trip with a three-game set against the Detroit Tigers, also on Tuesday.