Meidroth and Benintendi have a pair of RBI singles apiece as White Sox beat Rangers 4-2

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Chase Meidroth went 4 for 4 while he and Andrew Benintendi had a pair of run-scoring singles apiece, Anthony Kay pushed through five innings for his first win in more than a month, and the Chicago White Sox beat the Texas Rangers 4-2 on Wednesday night.

Braden Montgomery scored all three times he reached base. Meidroth's fourth career four-hit game helped the White Sox move out of a tie with Cleveland atop the American League Central as the Guardians lost to Minnesota 10-6.

Texas rookie Cam Cauley hit his first major league homer as the Rangers dropped back to .500 but stayed in first place in the AL West by a half-game over Seattle with the defending division champion Mariners' second consecutive loss to Cincinnati.

Kay (7-4) allowed five hits and two runs to end a six-start winless streak. The left-hander hit his majors-leading 19th batter to put Cauley on and load the bases with no outs in the fourth. Elias Díaz’s double-play grounder brought home Brandon Nimmo, and Kay preserved a 3-2 lead by striking out Alejandro Osuna.

Four Chicago relievers finished with four hitless innings. Bryan Hudson had two strikeouts in a 1-2-3 ninth for his fourth save.

Tyler Alexander allowed a run for the first time in the left-hander's fourth start as an opener for Texas. Cal Quantrill (3-3) walked two in the fourth before giving up consecutive RBI singles to Meidroth and Benintendi.

Texas third baseman Josh Jung didn't start a day after leaving a 10-0 Texas win with tightness in his left calf. Manager Skip Schumaker said Jung has a mild strain but the team is hopeful he will be available for the opener of a four-game home series against the Mariners on Friday night.

Both teams are off Thursday before playing at home Friday. The White Sox are set to start RHP Davis Martin (9-5, 3.31 ERA) against Houston. Texas is set to go with LHP MacKenzie Gore (6-8, 4.80) against Seattle.

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Chicago White Sox's Braden Montgomery (24) scores on a single by teammate Andrew Benintendi past Texas Rangers catcher Elias Díaz during the fourth inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Texas Rangers' Cam Cauley hits a home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Anthony Kay throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Chicago White Sox's Chase Meidroth, right, hits a run scoring single in front of Texas Rangers catcher Elias Díaz during the second inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (AP) — The family of Nolan Xavier Wells is still searching for answers about what exactly led to the 18-year-old athlete's death during a July 4 boat trip with friends off Mississippi's Gulf Coast.

Though Wells traveled by boat with his friends to Horn Island, he didn't return with the group that afternoon as planned. His body was found two days later off the island's coast.

An independent autopsy commissioned by the family was inconclusive, civil rights attorney Ben Crump announced Wednesday, and the Mississippi sheriff’s department investigating Wells’ death hasn’t made a public statement about the case in recent days.

Wells' parents say the tragedy is riddled with conflicting stories and missing details. That distrust has been deepened by the state's long legacy of racism. Wells was the only Black person in the group that day — everyone else with him on the outing was white.

Here's a look at what's known and what's next in the search for answers.

Wells' mother Christine Wonsley became concerned when one of his friends called around 11 p.m. on July 4. After trying to track her son down on her own, she reported him missing to police. One of Wells' friends had also reported him missing to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Wells didn't make it back to the mainland, but his phone and car keys did. Wonsley used an app to track Wells' phone, and, after a friend went to where it was on land to pick it up, noticed that some of his messages appeared to be deleted. Wells' father, Elmore Wonsley, went to retrieve his son's keys from the boat, which was at the home where Wells had stayed with his friends the night before their trip. He said his son's car was still parked in the yard.

The day after Wells' body was found, Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said Wells' friends were cooperating with authorities and that investigators did not suspect foul play.

Ledbetter said people interviewed by investigators said Wells chose to stay on the island with the assumption that he was going to ride back to the mainland with someone else. Crump said another witness reported Wells had planned to leave on the boat with his friends.

The independent autopsy report showed no evidence of fractures or deep tissue injuries, and described a “red discoloration" on the back of Wells' skull as “inconclusive” and meriting further investigation, Crump said.

Dr. Roger Mitchell, the forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy, wrote in the report that he could not rule out the possibility that “non-accidental factors contributed to or caused the death.” He listed the cause of death as “undetermined” pending further investigation.

The autopsy was complicated by a few factors. The body had decomposed and had already undergone one autopsy, which meant that the organs including the lungs and the neck structures were already removed. That's not an unusual practice for autopsies, but makes it impossible to determine if Wells had a neck injury or if water had entered his lungs, according to Mitchell's report.

Crump has called on state officials to provide that evidence for the family to review.

The Mississippi medical examiner has not released the results of the state autopsy, and did not return messages left Wednesday asking for a timeline of when those results would be released.

Toxicology tests can often take weeks, and those results have also not yet been released.

Lawyers for the family said they spoke to the prosecuting attorney last week about procedural matters, but they said officials with the sheriff's department have not shared any updates on the investigation's findings in the days since Wells' body was discovered.

Crump said he is working alongside the local prosecutor to inspect Wells’ phone. The prosecutor has agreed to present the results of the investigation to a grand jury once it is completed, according to Crump.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department has been soliciting video, photos and firsthand accounts from people who were on the island. But the sheriff’s department has not made any public statements about the investigation in more than a week.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, who gave the eulogy at Wells' funeral, has promised a $100,000 reward for any new information about the circumstances around Wells' death. Half the sum will be covered by the actor and producer Tyler Perry, who also paid for the funeral, Sharpton noted. An additional $25,000 was pledged by former NFL player Terrell Owens. Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick paid for the independent autopsy.

Wells’ death has led to rampant speculation and suspicion as people grapple with Mississippi’s history of racial tension and what it means to be a Black person in a majority white space.

Sharpton invoked Mississippi's history of racist violence during his eulogy, including the lynching of Emmett Till and assassination of Medgar Evers. He told law enforcement authorities, “Before we can medicate and heal today, we’ve got to look at your history.”

The independent autopsy findings were announced to a standing-room-only crowd at the annual NAACP National Convention in Chicago.

Wells' parents have described him as a peacemaker who shied away from confrontation, and his football coach at Southwest Mississippi Community College said the wide receiver was sociable and the type of person who never met a stranger.

Crump says too many things about the case don't add up: Why would a teenager leave a phone behind if they plan to stay on an island? Why did nobody see Wells drown, or a person struggling in the water? Why did one witness report Wells planned to leave on the boat with his friends, while others apparently told the sheriff he had decided to stay behind?

Horn Island is uninhabited and accessible only by boat, an 11-mile (18-kilometer) spit of land near the Alabama state line. Crump said about 200 people were there on July 4. The family hopes witnesses will come forward to help fill in the blanks about what happened before Wells entered the water.

This story has been corrected to show that the forensic pathologist is Dr. Roger Mitchell, not Dr. Robert Mitchell.

Elmore Wonsley, center, speaks next to attorney Ben Crump, left, and Rev. Al Sharpton during a memorial service for Nolan Xavier Wells, an 18-year-old found dead after taking a July 4 boat trip with friends, Monday, July 20, 2026, in Ocean Springs, Miss. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Attendees join hands in prayer at a news conference about the results of an independent autopsy of Nolan Wells at the NAACP National Convention in Chicago, Wednesday, July 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Laura Bargfeld)

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump speaks at a news conference about the results of an independent autopsy of Nolan Wells at the NAACP National Convention in Chicago, Wednesday, July 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Laura Bargfeld)