BLOOMINGTON (Interstat) — The Chicago White Sox scored four runs in the first inning and never trailed again, defeating the Minnesota Twins 7-4 on Friday night at Target Field.

Colson Montgomery delivered the decisive blow in the opening frame, a three-run homer to right field that turned a 1-0 lead into a 4-0 advantage. Andrew Benintendi started the scoring with an RBI single, and Braden Montgomery followed with a single before Colson Montgomery connected for his 28th home run of the season. The White Sox sent eight batters to the plate in the inning, forcing Twins starter Dean Kremer to labor from the outset.

Minnesota answered quickly against White Sox starter Hagen Smith. Luke Keaschall singled to open the bottom of the first, and Brooks Lee followed with a two-run homer to right-center, his 22nd of the year. Kody Clemens made it 4-3 with a solo shot to right, also his 22nd. The Twins drew even in the second inning. Trevor Larnach doubled and advanced to third on a flyout, then scored when Lee singled to left. The inning ended with the score tied 4-4.

Chicago regained the lead in the third. Munetaka Murakami hit a ground-rule double down the left-field line and scored on Benintendi’s double to left, making it 5-4. The White Sox added a run in the fourth inning to extend the lead to 6-4. They scored again in the eighth when Chase Meidroth doubled, advanced to third on a flyout, and came home on a strikeout that got past the catcher for an insurance run, pushing the margin to 7-4.

The Twins had chances to rally but twice grounded into double plays. In the third, Josh Bell grounded into a twin-killing to end the inning. In the sixth, Luke Keaschall grounded into another double play with the bases occupied, stranding a runner. Minnesota also left the bases loaded in the fourth? Actually, in the fourth, the Twins put two runners on with no outs but then got a lineout, an infield popup, and a foul popout to end the inning. The White Sox bullpen took over from there, preserving the lead.

Grant Taylor earned the win in relief, working 2.2 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out three. Bryan Hudson recorded the final three outs for his sixth save of the season. Kremer took the loss, allowing six runs on seven hits over four-plus innings. Taylor Rogers, Travis Adams, and Kody Funderburk combined for effective relief for Minnesota, but the early deficit proved too much.

Colson Montgomery finished 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs. Benintendi went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and scored twice. Miguel Vargas reached base twice and scored a run in the first inning. Braden Montgomery added two hits and scored a run. Drew Romo drew a walk and scored a run as part of the White Sox’s four-run first inning.

Brooks Lee led the Twins with a 2-for-5 night, including a home run and three RBIs. Clemens added two hits and a home run. Larnach had two hits, including a double. Keaschall also collected two hits. But Minnesota’s 12 hits were not enough to overcome the early damage.

The White Sox improved to 71-63 with the victory, while the Twins fell to 64-71. The game took 3:02 and drew a crowd of 28,140 at Target Field.

Chicago has won two straight after taking two of three from Texas earlier in the week. Minnesota has lost four in a row, including a three-game sweep at the hands of the Athletics before returning home.

The teams will play again Saturday in the second game of the four-game series. The White Sox then travel to Houston for four games before hosting Minnesota for three games Sept. 4-6. The Twins will host Detroit after this series.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Chicago White Sox 5, Minnesota Twins 4. Interstatl’s ELO system had projected the White Sox with a 50.90 percent probability to win. Chicago had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The total score of 11 went under the over/under line of 9.