PHOENIX (Interstat) — The Chicago White Sox, defying pregame projections and a season of early struggles, erupted for seven runs in the first two innings and cruised to an 11-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night at Chase Field.

The game’s most critical sequence unfolded immediately, as the White Sox battered Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly in a relentless first inning. Andrew Benintendi led off with a single, Munetaka Murakami followed with another, and a walk to Miguel Vargas loaded the bases with no outs. Colson Montgomery then cleared them, lashing a two-run double to center field. After a sacrifice fly by Everson Pereira brought in the third run, rookie left fielder Sam Antonacci delivered the early knockout blow, driving a triple to center to score Montgomery and cap a four-run opening frame.

Any notion of an Arizona comeback was swiftly extinguished in the second. Murakami led off with a solo home run to right field, his ninth of the year. Two pitches later, Vargas connected for his fourth homer. Before the inning was over, Montgomery joined the power display, launching his sixth home run of the season to center field. The three consecutive blasts turned the game into a rout and chased Kelly from the mound after just 1 1/3 innings, having surrendered seven runs on six hits.

The offensive outburst made a winner of White Sox starter Sean Burke, who provided much-needed stability. Burke worked six solid innings, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out three. He navigated minimal trouble, with Arizona scratching across single runs in the fourth on a Geraldo Perdomo triple and a groundout, and in the fifth on a solo home run by Alek Thomas.

Burke improved to 1-2, while Kelly took the loss, falling to 1-1.

Chicago added a run in the fifth on a sacrifice bunt by Reese McGuire, making it 8-2. The score held there until the ninth, when Antonacci provided the final exclamation point. After Everson Pereira was hit by a pitch, Antonacci hit a ground ball down the left-field line that eluded the defense. The play was reviewed for a potential ground-rule double, but the call on the field stood, resulting in a rare, electrifying inside-the-park home run that scored two. A double play later in the inning brought home Chicago’s final run.

Arizona showed a flicker of life in the bottom of the ninth against reliever Osvaldo Bido. Following singles by Jose Fernandez and Nolan Arenado, Ildemaro Vargas hit a three-run homer to right field. The Diamondbacks then loaded the bases with two walks, bringing the tying run to the on-deck circle, but Bido induced a flyout from Adrian Del Castillo to end the game after 2 hours and 58 minutes.

Antonacci, named the top star for Chicago, finished 2 for 5 with the triple, the inside-the-park home run, and three RBIs, breaking out of a 1-for-13 skid over his previous four games. Montgomery also drove in three runs, while Murakami went 3 for 5 with his homer. For Arizona, Vargas’s three-run shot accounted for the bulk of their offense.

The victory improved the White Sox to 9-14, while the Diamondbacks fell to 13-10. The result was a stark reversal of expectations; pregame simulations by Interstat gave Arizona a 68.1% probability to win, projecting a 6-3 Diamondbacks victory. The combined 16 runs sailed over the posted over/under line of 9.

Attendance was 23,045.

The two teams continue their three-game series Wednesday night in Phoenix.