IRVING, Texas – Whitman College's three-run outburst in the top of the seventh inning signaled an offense in thaw and helped propel the Missionaries to a 6-4 victory over host University of Dallas,on Saturday,at Crusader Field in the nightcap of a non-conference baseball doubleheader.

It was Whitman's first victory of the season.

"It's great to get the first one," Missionaries head coach Sean Kinney said.

Prior to their pivotal seventh-inning rally, the Missionaries (1-2) had scored just three runs all season: None in,Friday's,5-0 loss to the University of Texas-Dallas, two in an 11-2 loss in Game 1 of,Saturday's,doubleheader, and one over the first six innings of Game 2.

Whitman tacked on two more runs in the top of the ninth, then withstood the Crusaders' three-run rally in the bottom of the inning to prevail.

The Missionaries' offensive largesse was well distributed.

"A lot of guys up and down the lineup were able to contribute," said Kinney. "It wasn't one pocket or another. We had opportunities to score in 2/3 of the innings. That was really good to see."

Kinney noticed improvement in Whitman's plate approach.

"The talks we've been able to have are starting to (pay off)," he said. "We're looking for certain pitches in certain locations.

"Pitching always starts a little sooner than the bats, early in the season," Kinney added. "It took us a few games to get going. The great thing was, we added (runs) throughout the game. It ended up saving us in the end."

Whitman starter Robert Maislin (1-0) pitched eight strong innings to earn the win, allowing just one earned run. Maislin, who took a shutout into the seventh inning, recorded the final out of the eighth when the batter represented the tying run.

"He's a guy that puts in the time, puts in the work, always there an hour, two hours before practice," Kinney said of Maislin, a junior righty from Houston, Texas. "I can't say enough about what he did in some tough spots, even when he was getting tired."

Freshman Braden Hussey pitched in and out of trouble in the ninth to secure the victory for Whitman. He ended the game on a strikeout -- "Fastball, up," Kinney said -- and showed poised that belied his collegiate inexperience.

"We were able to get a lot of players in today," said Kinney. "A lot contributed, whether it was offensively or defensively. Especially with a young team, it was good to see them get off to a good start."

The University of Dallas fell to 3-2 overall.

Whitman plays Hardin-Simmons University at,9 a.m.,Pacific Time,on Sunday.