BASEBALL: RESPECT THIS: CALABASAS OUSTS WESTLAKE FROM PLAYOFFS : CALABASAS 11 WESTLAKE 4.

Byline: Gerry Gittelson Daily News Staff Writer

Randy Curtis of Calabasas High wore a big smile, recounting how nobody had given his baseball team a chance against powerful Westlake.

After all, Westlake came in 19-5-1, was riding a 12-game winning streak - including a nonleague victory at Calabasas one month ago - and had spent most of the season lodged in the Daily News top five. Calabasas, meanwhile, entered with a 12-12 record, and only a late-season rally had saved the Frontier League title.

But Calabasas convincingly proved itself better than Westlake on Friday. The Coyotes hammered the visiting Warriors 11-4 to advance to Tuesday's second round of the Division III playoffs against either Norwalk or Valencia of Placentia.

``No one gave us a chance in this game, no one,'' said Curtis, who was 3 for 5 with two doubles and two RBI. ``Everyone thought this would be an easy loss. But it's all right that we're underdogs. We'll just keep proving to people that we can beat them.''

It didn't take long to convince Westlake.

Calabasas hammered starter Mike Alba (5-2) for seven runs (six earned) in the first inning, and Calabasas right-hander Tony Sulser (9-2) pitched seven strong innings, allowing two earned runs on seven hits with five strikeouts.

Sulser was not overpowering, relying on a slider he threw for strikes whenever he needed to, and a gutsy knack for working his way out of jams: Westlake put runners in scoring position every inning except the last and left nine runners on base.

``We're underrated. That's what we're all about,'' Sulser said. ``We haven't had much support from the newspapers all season. They all thought we'd lose in five innings today. But this team knows how to come through when we need to. We've just had a lot of tough breaks this season.''

Kevin Howard, Westlake's four-year standout who is a projected upper-round pick in June's major-league draft, ended his career by going 1 for 1 with a double, two runs and two errors.

``We just didn't have it today. We played a bad game,'' said Howard, pushed into leadoff duty because three players - two of them starters - were suspended for disciplinary reasons last week. ``We had the talent to win this game. We just beat ourselves. But Calabasas played a great game. Every single one of their players played their butts off.''

Westlake coach Chuck Berrington, who had relied so heavily on home runs and good defense, said this was the worst game Westlake had played all season. He certainly expected more after making it all the way to the Division III final last year. But his three pitchers yielded 13 hits and four walks, and the defense made five errors.

``The baseball gods were not on our side today,'' Berrington said.