By Brian Bruce

LINCOLN, Neb.-  Left-hander Devin Anderson turned in an outstanding start, allowing only two runs over seven innings of work, as Kansas City soundly beat Lincoln, 11-2, at a steamy Haymarket Park on Sunday evening.

Working through a 96-degree heat index at game time, Anderson improved to 2-4 while allowing only six hits and striking out two. He turned in one-two-three third and sixth innings and held the Saltdogs scoreless through the first three frames.

KC took command in the top of the second, when leadoff man Justin Bass hammered a Ricardo Estevez fastball over the center fielder’s head with two outs. The bases clearing double, driving in Trevor Coleman, Enrique Cruz, and Spiker Helms, put the T-Bones on top 4-0. They would never trail.

The T-Bones tacked on one run in the fifth, and then put the game away with three runs on four hits in the sixth, extending their cushion to 8-2. In the frame, Jose Duran and the rookie Helms delivered RBI singles.

Anderson gave way to the bullpen for the last two innings, with right-hander and former Nebraska Cornhusker Matt Foust pitching a scoreless eighth and right-hander Mike Mehlich hurling a scoreless ninth.

The victory, KC’s first in the four-game set, improves the T-Bones to 4-3 on the road trip and 23-20 overall. The four-game series finale is slated for a 7:05 p.m. start on Monday, with Brian Grening (5-2; 3.43 ERA) starting for Kansas City against Lincoln’s Justin Edwards (2-4; 7.29). Catch the play-by-play call on the KMBZ Business Channel (1660 AM) or online at www.tbonesbaseball.com.