Pearl City shortstop Matt Aribal makes a throw to first. He batted 3 for 3 and scored three runs in the Chargers' win over Waipahu. CJ Caraang | SL

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CJ Caraang | SL

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WAIPAHU – Add aptitude to one of the reasons for top-ranked Pearl City's success in baseball.

No. 9 hitter Matt Aribal reached base all four times, scoring three runs, to help the Chargers squash host Waipahu, 16-7, Wednesday to remain undefeated in the Oahu Interscholastic Association West at 10-0.

Aribal, a 5-foot-7 sophomore shortstop, was perfect at the plate, batting 3 for 3 with a walk and scoring three times. Making a little go a long way, Aribal reached on bunt singles and eventually scored runs that gave the Chargers the lead twice, the second one for good that ignited Pearl City's six-run sixth that broke a 6-all game.

"Matt's a guy who can handle the bat for us," Pearl City coach Gavin Concepcion said. "He's that nine-hole guy who can be that lead-off hitter. The IQ is there. He understands the defense, he understands the feel of the game situation-wise, so when he laid those two bunts down to start the innings, he saw the third baseman move over toward the hole, so he took that opportunity on his own. The second time, he saw what the right-side defense was and he pulled that thing with him."

After Waipahu's five-run third that tied the game at 5, Aribal led off the fourth with a bunt single down the third-base line. He would eventually score on a wild pitch to give the Chargers a short-lived 6-5 lead. Kobie Russell's RBI triple in the bottom of the fourth tied the game at 6.

The Chargers then sent 11 batters to the plate in a six-run sixth in which Aribal went 2 for 2. He led off with a push bunt between first and second and eventually scored the go-ahead run on Davin Kapuras' two-run double. When Aribal came up again in the inning, he grounded a single to right to cap his perfect day at the plate.

It was a frustrating day for the Marauders, who made it a game early with a five-run third to tie and answering quickly in the bottom of the fourth to re-tie the game at 6.

"We told them what to look for," Waipahu coach Jared Abreu said. "That's the frustrating part. We cannot play the game for them. We keep telling them, telling them. That's hard. Inexperience, that plays a big part, too, not knowing what to do, where to go."

Aribal also walked in the second inning, eventually scoring on Sam Prentice's two-run single in the Chargers' three-run inning.

"I'll do anything to help my team out, get on," Aribal said. "My coach always told me we have to get the lead-off man on and let everyone else do the work."

His push bunt in the sixth was out of a textbook. Aribal bunted the ball hard enough to get it by the left-handed pitcher Gabriel Ballesteros, whose follow-through would be toward third base. The bunt also was directly between the first and second basemen, drawing them together and leaving first base open for the speedy Aribal.

"We had a lefty on the mound, so he'll fall off this way (point toward third)," Aribal explained.

The Chargers jumped all over Waipahu starting pitcher Blazsen Ferreira for six runs (five earned), six hits and five walks over three-plus innings. But Pearl City starting pitcher Prentice could not cash in on the early run support, as he was tagged for five runs (all earned), three hits and five walks in 2 2/3 innings. He allowed lead-off walks in the first three innings.

"Sam struggled," Concepcion said. "We couldn't get him down in the zone. Mechanically, he just wasn't there; he didn't really have a good feel. We tried to stick with him. I want my guys to be confident enough that they can work out of situations. It was a day he couldn't work out of it."

Torey Chun added 1 1/3 innings of relief, allowing a run and left fielder Trestan Nakamura came in to pitch the final three innings, allowing a run, and picking up the win in relief.

Ballesteros was charged with the loss, having allowed six runs, eight hits and two walks in 2 2/3 innings following Ferreira.

Also posting three hits for the Chargers were Prentice (3 for 5, 2 RBI) and Trenton Darley (3 for 5, 4 RBI).

Waipahu shortstop and pitcher Russell led his team with four RBI on a 2 for 2 days.

The Chargers can clinch the West title and division's top seed when they second-place Mililani (9-1) Wednesday at Hans L'Orange Park.