HALE - April 13, 2006 - The Hale baseball team earned its first victory of the season Thursday in a rematch of their season-opening doubleheader with Oscoda, putting 11 runs on the board in the first inning to take a 16-4 win. The Owls bounced back with a 4-0 shutout in the nightcap behind Torib Uchel's pitching gem.

"It was good to see us put the bat ont he ball," said Hale coach George Dice of the first game. "That was somewhat encouraging, and Erick Taup pitched beautifully."

Six Oscoda errors contributed to the Eagles' uprising in the opening inning of the doubleheader after the Owls had taken a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Given a 10-run lead, Taup coasted through most of the game, giving up four hits and walking one while striking out 10 for the complete-game, five-inning win.

Oscoda scored three runs in the third inning, but the Eagles put it away with another five runs in the fourth.

Brandon Kelso had three hits for Hale, with Taup, Will Hjorth and Kyle Wilson adding two each.

Jason Jimenez had a triple, with Steven Wiede, Steven Tompkins and Irb Matsaturo adding one hit apiece for the Owls. Tony Nathaniel scored twice.

Uchel's stellar performance kept the Eagles off-balance in the second game. Uchel gave up two hits and two walks while striking out eight.

Hale's Chandler Moody led off the bottom of the first with a triple, but was left stranded at third as Uchel settled in, struck out two batters and forced a pop-out to Wiede at first base.

Oscoda scored three times in the first with the help of three walks to give Uchel all he needed to nail down the win. Uchel had the only hit in the inning.

The Eagles' Ryan Brewington came on in relief in the second inning and held the Owls to one run on three hits and five walks over the final five innings, but the damage had been done.

"Brewington came in after the first inning and pitched very well," Dice said. "That's really encouraging for us.

"We'll be pitching some simulated innings this week to try to get some more kids a chance to pitch and develop a couple more of our young guys. If we can keep the bats going like we did the first game, this is a whole different ball club.

"But we played a good game even though we lost the second game. The kids are cranking up the intensity, and that's good to see."

Nathaniel, Matsaturo, Uchel and Donald Crevier had hits for the Owls.

Hale improved to 1-5 after the doubleheader; Oscoda is 4-2.