KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Interstat) — A six-run sixth inning, capped by a three-run homer from Coby Mayo, propelled the Baltimore Orioles to an 8-6 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday at Kauffman Stadium, securing a series win in a back-and-forth contest that defied pregame projections.

The game, which lasted 2 hours and 41 minutes and was played before an afternoon crowd of 14,175, saw the Orioles improve to 12-13, while the Royals fell to 8-17.

Baltimore struck first against Royals starter Michael Wacha. After a leadoff strikeout, Taylor Ward doubled and scored two batters later when Pete Alonso launched a two-run homer to right-center field. Kansas City answered immediately in the bottom half, as Vinnie Pasquantino countered with a solo shot off Orioles starter Chris Bassitt to trim the lead to 2-1.

The Royals tied the game in the fourth. Pasquantino doubled and later scored on an RBI single from Carter Jensen. A single by Jac Caglianone and a run-scoring line drive from Lane Thomas gave Kansas City a 3-2 advantage, marking their first lead of the game.

The Orioles’ offense, quiet after the first, erupted in the decisive sixth inning to chase Wacha. Alonso walked and Samuel Basallo singled to set the stage. Leody Taveras laced a game-tying RBI single, and Jeremiah Jackson followed with a two-run single to put Baltimore ahead 5-3. After a Colton Cowser single, Mayo delivered the crushing blow, a three-run homer to left-center off reliever Tyler Wells to extend the lead to 8-3.

The most important part of the game was Baltimore’s immediate and overwhelming response in the top of the sixth, transforming a one-run deficit into a five-run lead. This outburst not only reclaimed control of the game but also withstood Kansas City’s subsequent rally.

The Royals fought back in their half of the sixth. Jensen led off with a solo homer, and after a Michael Massey double, Kyle Isbel hit a two-run blast to right field, pulling Kansas City within 8-6. The rally ended there, however, as Bassitt was relieved and the Baltimore bullpen took over.

Bassitt earned the win despite allowing five runs on eight hits over 5 1/3 innings, moving to 1-2. Wacha took the loss, falling to 2-1 after surrendering seven runs on nine hits in five-plus innings.

From the seventh inning onward, the Orioles’ relief corps silenced the Royals’ bats. Tyler Wells recorded a key out in the sixth, and Anthony Nunez worked a perfect ninth, striking out two, to notch his first save of the season. Kansas City’s Mason Black and Alex Lange provided scoreless relief outings in the late innings.

The Orioles collected 11 hits, with seven coming in the sixth inning alone. The Royals had 10 hits, with Jensen, Pasquantino, and Massey each recording two.

The result gave Baltimore a 2-1 series victory after the teams split the first two games. The Orioles now return home to face the Boston Red Sox, while the Royals will host the Los Angeles Angels, with both series beginning Friday.

Pregame simulations had projected a low-scoring 4-1 Orioles win, but the teams combined for 14 runs, though the total still fell under the over/under line of 9. Despite Kansas City being given a 53% probability to win by one ranking system, Baltimore closed as a 1.5-run favorite on the betting spread.