The Athletics looked done early. Then they kept finding one more answer.
After falling behind by five in the second inning, the A’s fought all the way back, survived a bases-loaded threat in the 11th and beat the White Sox 7-6 on Saturday at Sutter Health Park. Jack Perkins delivered the biggest escape of the day, and Max Muncy ended it one inning later with a walk-off sacrifice fly that scored Jacob Wilson.
That pushed the Athletics back into the win column at 11-10. It also gave them an extra-inning win built on patience, timely swings and one relief sequence that changed the game.
The hole came fast
The White Sox did their damage early against Luis Severino.
Colson Montgomery opened the second with a solo homer. A few batters later, Reese McGuire singled home a run, and Andrew Benintendi followed with a three-run shot to right. Just like that, the Athletics were down 5-0.
Jacob Wilson got one back in the bottom half with a solo homer to left. Then the A’s chipped away from there.
In the third, Lawrence Butler walked, stole second and scored on Jeff McNeil’s sacrifice fly. In the fifth, Nick Kurtz singled and Tyler Soderstrom followed with an RBI single to left. An inning later, Max Muncy tripled and scored on Butler’s fielder’s choice.
That cut the deficit to 5-4, and the game had life again.
Kurtz pulled them even
Chicago grabbed another run in the seventh when Munetaka Murakami led off with a solo homer to center.
The A’s answered immediately.
Shea Langeliers opened the bottom of the seventh with a single, and Kurtz turned on the next pitch he could drive. His two-run homer to right tied the game at 6-6 and erased Chicago’s last lead.
That swing changed the feel of the afternoon. Suddenly the Athletics were no longer chasing. They were the ones threatening to finish it.
They nearly did in the eighth, but Tyler Soderstrom struck out after the White Sox intentionally walked Kurtz with two on and two outs. Then they loaded the bases in the 10th and still could not cash in after Jordan Hicks escaped.
So the game kept stretching.
Perkins gave them the opening
The biggest outs came in the top of the 11th.
Luisangel Acuña singled and Miguel Vargas walked, loading the bases with nobody out. Perkins stayed in it. He struck out Montgomery, struck out Everson Pereira and got Sam Antonacci to pop out to third.
That was the sequence that gave the A’s their opening.
After the Athletics missed earlier chances, they finally cashed the next one. Wilson started the bottom of the 11th at second, Denzel Clarke moved him to third with a sacrifice bunt, and Muncy lifted a fly ball to left that was deep enough to end it.
Game over.
Numbers that mattered
Kurtz finished 2-for-3 with three walks, a homer and two RBIs. Wilson went 2-for-6 with a homer, two runs and an RBI. Muncy tripled, scored once and drove in the winning run.
The Athletics drew 10 walks and collected 10 hits, but they also left 15 men on base and went 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position.
Perkins earned the win with 2 1/3 scoreless innings. He allowed one hit, walked two and struck out three. More importantly, he stranded the bases loaded in the 11th and gave the A’s their chance to finish it.
Up next
The Athletics wrap up the series Sunday at Sutter Health Park. Jeffrey Springs is scheduled to start for the A’s against White Sox left-hander Noah Schultz.
Springs enters at 3-0 with a 1.46 ERA, while Schultz is 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.
