GARY, Ind.-  After falling behind 6-0 through three innings, Kansas City scored seven unanswered runs the rest of the way and took the series opener, 7-6, in 11 innings at the U.S. Steel Yard on Monday night.

Gary sent 10 men to the plate in the third, scoring five runs on five hits against T-Bones starter Luke Irvine, who was making his first start of the season after 16 appearances out of the bullpen.

Kansas City began its long road back in the top of the fourth. Former Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds infielder Enrique Cruz tripled home Trevor Coleman, which narrowed the gap to 6-1. Then, in the fifth, the T-Bones scored three runs with two outs. Ray Sadler hit a high, slicing drive off the top of the right field wall that drove home Justin Bass and Gus Milner, followed by an RBI single from Coleman that scored Sadler, which made the score 6-4.

The T-Bones then tied the game in the top of the sixth. Again with two outs, Brandon Jones knocked a two-run single up the middle, scoring Devin Goodwin and Bass, tying the game, 6-6. It would stay tied until the top of the 11th.

With two outs in the 11th and Jose Duran at third base, RailCats right-hander Nolan Nicholson bounced a breaking ball to Sadler that skipped past catcher Craig Maddox. Duran scampered home from third, giving the T-Bones a 7-6 lead.

Kansas City right-hander Mike Mehlich (1-0), who had pitched a scoreless 10th inning, closed out the RailCats in the bottom of the 11th.

The win, Kansas City’s fourth consecutive, pushes the T-Bones to a season-high three games over .500 at 20-17. KC is in second place in the Central Division, 7 ½ games behind Wichita. Game two of the four-game set commences at 7:10 p.m. on Tuesday. Left-hander Devin Anderson (1-4; 4.81 ERA) will be on the hill for Kansas City. Right-hander Stephen Hiscock (1-2; 2.63) takes the ball for Gary. Tune in to the KMBZ Business Channel 1660 AM or online at www.tbonesbaseball.com for the play-by-play call.