After splitting its first two league games, the Milpitas High School softball team prepared for its toughest test of the young season against the undefeated squad from Monta Vista High School of Cupertino this week.

Milpitas entered the Monta Vista game (played Wednesday; results too late for press) hoping to maintain momentum after a 12-0 rout of Lynbrook High School of San Jose on Friday. Junior pitcher Michelle Guerra pushed her record to 5-2, pitching a complete game two-hitter and striking out nine batters.

The visiting Trojans took control early and never relinquished it. They scored three runs in both the third and fourth innings, and then exploded for six runs in the sixth inning.

Senior shortstop April De La Cruz added two hits, including a triple and an RBI.

"The experiment with moving April from catcher to shortstop; I think it's safe to say that's no longer an experiment. We're going with it," Coach Dan Atwell said. De La Cruz's success at shortstop allowed Atwell to move junior Deana Querubin to catcher, where she can build a lasting chemistry with the Trojans' two starting pitchers, Guerra and Cherlyn Trujillo, both juniors.

"I think that through next year Deana will be able to create a great relationship and teamwork with the pitchers."

The blowout win at Lynbrook came just in time to help Milpitas heal from a mistake-filled 6-5 loss in its league opener at Fremont High of Sunnyvale March 12. It was a back-and-forth contest, with Guerra

recording eight strikeouts and the team rallying from behind twice.

Fremont scored three in the bottom of the fifth to take a 5-2 lead, but Milpitas responded immediately. Guerra got on base to lead off the inning, and Querubin nailed a triple to drive her home. Senior Sabrena Hall followed up with another triple to score Querubin. Junior Vanessa Leija then singled home Hall to tie the game at 5-5.

Fremont, however, answered with a walk-off run in the bottom of the seventh to earn the victory.