HONOLULU (Interstat) — Isaiah Magdaleno delivered a masterful performance on the mound, striking out 12 over 8 1/3 dominant innings to lead the Hawaii Warriors to a 6-1 victory over the Ball State Cardinals on Thursday night at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center.

The most important part of the game was Magdaleno’s sheer control from the second inning onward. After allowing a first-inning run, the right-hander transformed the contest into a one-sided affair, relentlessly stifling the Cardinals’ offense and allowing his team to pull away.

Ball State struck immediately. Leadoff hitter Balius singled, stole second, advanced to third on a flyout and scored on a sacrifice fly by shortstop Brett Griffiths. It was the only damage Magdaleno would allow.

The Warriors evened the score in the third without a hit. Nahaku K. reached on an error by the right fielder, advanced to third on the play and scored on a groundout by Ben Zeigler-Namoa.

Hawaii took the lead for good in the fifth against Ball State starter John Chambers, who had held the Warriors hitless through four innings. Nahaku K. walked, stole second and advanced to third on a groundout. After an intentional walk, designated hitter Christian Hoffman delivered the key blow, a two-run double to left field to make it 3-1.

Magdaleno, meanwhile, was overpowering. After the first-inning single, he did not allow another hit until the ninth. He retired 16 consecutive batters at one point, mixing his pitches to keep Ball State off balance and piling up strikeouts.

The Warriors added insurance in the sixth against reliever Zach Kwasny. Draven Nushida doubled and later scored on a single by Watanabe K. Zeigler-Namoa then provided an exclamation point in the seventh, launching a solo home run to right-center field to extend the lead to 5-1.

Hawaii capped its scoring in the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Jake Redding.

Magdaleno returned for the ninth, seeking a complete game. He allowed an infield single and a fielding error put runners on first and second. After Griffiths drove in an unearned run with a single, Hawaii manager called upon Tsubasa Tomii from the bullpen. Tomii promptly struck out the next two batters to seal the victory.

Magdaleno’s line was stellar: 8 1/3 innings pitched, two hits, no earned runs, one walk and 12 strikeouts. It was a sharp rebound from his previous start against Wichita State, where he allowed five earned runs in five innings.

Chambers took the loss for Ball State, charged with two runs over five innings despite not allowing a hit. He walked three and struck out three. The Cardinals managed only three hits total, with Griffiths recording the lone RBI.

Zeigler-Namoa finished 2 for 4 with the home run and two RBIs for Hawaii, which improved its season record to 6-1. Hoffman drove in two runs, and Nushida added two hits.

Ball State fell to 4-4 with the loss. The game was the opener of a four-game series between the teams. They are scheduled to play again Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Honolulu.

The victory exceeded the projection from Interstat’s game simulator, which had forecast a 7-5 Hawaii win. The Warriors’ ELO probability to win was 64.40 percent.