Ball State University Athletics
Saturday, February 28
Manoa, Hawaii
6:30 PM HT / 11:30 PM ET
Ball State University
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Hawaii
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Ball State
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Photo by: Caden Vincent
Cardinals Get Past Hawaii 1-0 Behind Garza's Complete Game Shutout
March 01, 2026 | Baseball
MANOA, Hawaii -- It has been five years since a Ball State pitcher fired a complete game shutout over a full nine innings. Saturday night on the Hawaiian Islands, sophomore right-hander Brendan Garza threw nine innings and faced just 30 batters as the Cardinals got past Hawaii 1-0 for their first win in the four-game series.
The Cardinals, on the short end of 6-1 and 12-0 scores the previous two nights, took their first lead in the series when Ryan Muizelaar's single drove in Jacob Gillis for a 1-0 advantage in the second inning. It was the only cushion Garza (2-1) needed to notch the program's first nine-inning complete game shutout since John Baker beat Western Michigan, 2-0, on March 19, 2021. It was the Cardinals' first nine-inning complete game since Merritt Beeker got past Toledo, 5-1, in the 2024 Mid-American Conference Tournament.
Garza navigated the Rainbow Warriors' lineup with just five strikeouts. But he made efficient use of 101 pitches, allowed just two hits and two walks, and never allowed a runner to reach second base. After a leadoff walk in the bottom of the sixth, he retired 12 consecutive batters to preserve the Ball State victory.
For the third straight game at Les Murakami Stadium, the Cardinals struggled to push runs across the plate, but Ball State pressured the home team in virtually every inning on Saturday. Ball State put runners on base in every frame between the second and eighth innings, and left the bases loaded in the fifth. The Cardinals stranded eight runners between the fourth and eighth innings, but moved runners into scoring position in the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th.
Ball State outhit Hawaii 9-2 on Saturday, getting three hits from Muizelaar and a pair from leadoff man and centerfielder Gavin Balius. Balius (4-11) and Gillis (3-8) both have hit safely in all three games of the series.
The Cardinals (5-5) and Rainbow Warriors (7-4) connect once more on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. HT (6 p.m. ET).
The Cardinals, on the short end of 6-1 and 12-0 scores the previous two nights, took their first lead in the series when Ryan Muizelaar's single drove in Jacob Gillis for a 1-0 advantage in the second inning. It was the only cushion Garza (2-1) needed to notch the program's first nine-inning complete game shutout since John Baker beat Western Michigan, 2-0, on March 19, 2021. It was the Cardinals' first nine-inning complete game since Merritt Beeker got past Toledo, 5-1, in the 2024 Mid-American Conference Tournament.
Garza navigated the Rainbow Warriors' lineup with just five strikeouts. But he made efficient use of 101 pitches, allowed just two hits and two walks, and never allowed a runner to reach second base. After a leadoff walk in the bottom of the sixth, he retired 12 consecutive batters to preserve the Ball State victory.
For the third straight game at Les Murakami Stadium, the Cardinals struggled to push runs across the plate, but Ball State pressured the home team in virtually every inning on Saturday. Ball State put runners on base in every frame between the second and eighth innings, and left the bases loaded in the fifth. The Cardinals stranded eight runners between the fourth and eighth innings, but moved runners into scoring position in the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th.
Ball State outhit Hawaii 9-2 on Saturday, getting three hits from Muizelaar and a pair from leadoff man and centerfielder Gavin Balius. Balius (4-11) and Gillis (3-8) both have hit safely in all three games of the series.
The Cardinals (5-5) and Rainbow Warriors (7-4) connect once more on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. HT (6 p.m. ET).
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Garza, Brendan (2-1)
L: Martin-Grudzielanek (0-2)
Batting:
RBI: Muizelaar, Ryan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Gillis, Jacob 1
SB: Griffiths, Brett 1
Batting:
SH: Kamana Nahaku 1
Base Running:
SB: Elijah Ickes 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
0
H
3
RBI
1
AB
5
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
5
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
INF/OF
/ Baseball
P
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