WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Interstat) — Rookie left-hander Noah Schultz delivered a dominant performance in his second career start, allowing one hit over five innings to earn his first major league win and lead the Chicago White Sox to a 7-4 victory over the Athletics on Sunday evening at Sutter Health Park.

Schultz (1-1), the top star for Chicago, was in command from the outset, striking out six and walking one. The only blemish was a solo home run by Athletics third baseman Darell Hernaiz in the second inning. Schultz’s effort, a sharp rebound from a loss to Tampa Bay five days prior, stabilized a White Sox team that had lost eight of its previous eleven games and secured a series win after splitting the first two contests in Sacramento.

The White Sox offense provided ample support, tagging Athletics starter Jeffrey Springs (3-1) for seven runs on nine hits, including four home runs, across five innings. Chicago struck early, manufacturing a run in the first on a sacrifice fly by Edgar Quero that scored Chase Meidroth.

The power display began in the second. After Derek Hill led off the inning with a solo homer to left-center, Meidroth doubled with two outs. Third baseman Miguel Vargas followed by launching a two-run shot to left field, his third of the season, to extend the lead to 4-0.

Hernaiz’s homer in the bottom of the frame put on the board, but Schultz quickly reasserted control, retiring ten of the final eleven batters he faced.

The most important sequence of the game came in the top of the fifth inning, effectively putting the contest out of reach. Vargas led off with a single, and Japanese rookie Munetaka Murakami followed by crushing a 425-foot two-run homer to right field, his eighth of the season and third of the series. Two batters later, with two outs, shortstop Colson Montgomery added a solo blast to center, capping a three-run inning and pushing Chicago’s advantage to 7-1. That outburst against Springs proved decisive.

The Athletics mounted their only sustained threat in the seventh against the White Sox bullpen. Tyler Soderstrom doubled and Hernaiz walked. After a strikeout, Zack Gelof, who had shifted from right field to second base, laced a two-run double down the right-field line. Gelof later scored on a wild pitch to trim the deficit to 7-4, bringing the tying run to the plate. Reliever Jordan Leasure entered and needed just one pitch to induce an inning-ending foul popout from Jacob Wilson, snuffing out the rally.

Chicago’s relief corps closed the door from there. Bryan Hudson worked a scoreless eighth, and Seranthony Domínguez pitched a hitless ninth, working around a walk and a hit batter to record his fourth save of the season. Domínguez ended the game by getting Wilson to fly out to center with two runners on base.

The White Sox collected ten hits total, with Vargas finishing 2 for 3 with a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored. Meidroth added two hits and scored twice. managed only five hits, with Hernaiz’s home run and Gelof’s two-RBI double serving as the highlights. Athletics relievers Mason Barnett and Scott Barlow combined for three scoreless innings to keep the game within reach.

The announced attendance was 12,070 for the rubber game, which took 2 hours and 50 minutes to complete. The combined 11 runs fell under the pregame over/under line of 9. The result defied the projections, as Interstat’s game simulator had predicted a 6-2 Athletics win, and its ELO system gave a 62.7% probability of victory.

With the win, the White Sox improved to 8-14 on the season, while the Athletics fell to .500 at 11-11. Chicago now travels to Phoenix to open a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday. begins a three-game set against the Seattle Mariners on Monday at T-Mobile Park.