BASEBALL: ECR WINS WITH NEW LOOK : ECR 9 CHATSWORTH 6.

Byline: Lee Barnathan Daily News Staff Writer

One starter had been suspended, another was sent home and a third player was kicked out of the dugout. Others previously had quit because they couldn't adjust to a new coach or became academically ineligible.

Against this backdrop, the depleted El Camino Real High baseball team hosted Chatsworth on Thursday and promptly trailed after one-half and 1-1/2 innings.

Yet something happened on the way to a possible implosion: depth and heroic efforts from unlikely places.

A lineup shuffle allowed some seldom-used players to star, and the Conquistadores took advantage of two Chatsworth errors to score five unearned runs and post a 9-6 West Valley League victory.

``That's what El Camino baseball is all about,'' winning pitcher Ryan Gunches said. ``Different people stepping up and getting the job done.''

Gunches is a regular, but he struggled, walking five and giving up 12 hits and six earned runs. He wouldn't have improved to 6-0 if not for players like freshman Greg Achateal or sophomore Jason Kort.

Achateal, the regular designated hitter, played third base in coach Bob Ganslee's new lineup and came up with solid defense.

Kort became the DH for just the second time and hit a three-run home run off Scott Sellz (4-1) in the fourth inning that accounted for El Camino Real's (14-4, 7-3) final runs. He also just missed a second home run when umpires ruled his fly ball to left hooked foul before reaching the pole.

``Who knows? Maybe we found the right shuffle,'' Ganslee said. ``We were developing some depth today, and Jason Kort came up gigantic.''

Amazingly, Kort didn't know he was playing until the national anthemwas played. Ganslee sometimes changes lineups at the last minute because he sees something somewhere.

In this case, he saw Kort needed a chance - and Kort took advantage in the Conquistadores' most important series thus far.

``He's a kid who could always hit,'' Ganslee said. ``He gets an opportunity to be a hero and he comes through.''

Will Kort start again? Ganslee said he is in a constant state of evaluation and will take a look as the team prepares for next week's two games with Birmingham. Kort said he will be ready.

``You've got to say to yourself, `I've got to step up today,' '' he said. ``It's what it's all about: playing hard.''

Sean McElroy added a three-run double for ECR.

Chatsworth(15-3, 9-1) battered Gunches all over the place, getting five extra-base hits, including Chad Redfern's solo home run. But a first-inning error led to two ECR runs and a second-inning error led to three more.

``We banged all day,'' said Redfern, who also had an RBI single. ``We battled back but couldn't get it done.''

Sellz drove in three runs and went 3 for 4, but he gave up eight hits, walked eight, hit a batterand struck out four.