The Harvard softball team yesterday almost pulled off a seventh-inning miracle for the second day in a row.

Boston College, however, wasn't quite as understanding as Wheaton was the day before, when it gave up a last-inning home run to the Crimson.

The pesky Eagles refused to cooperate, and held on in the final frame, handling Harvard its first loss of the season, 2-1.

The Cantabs, now 5-1, could only manage to punch out four hits against B.C. hurler Leslie Lane-two in the pseudo instant replay seventh.

Harvard mounted its seventh-inning treat, however, only to see the tying run stranded on the basepaths.

"We're got to score more runs than that," Crimson Couch John Wentzell said. "We've got to bring the pop-ups down to line drives."

The pop-ups weren't levelling off for either squad yesterday, however, as Harvard pitcher Janet Dickerman engaged Lane in a tight pitcher's duel.

In her second start of the season, Dickerman gave up just three hits over the course of the game. She faced the minimum three batters in five frames, and four batters in another.

It was the one remaining inning, however, that spelled her-and the Crimson's-doom.

Control problems plagued Dickerman in the fourth, when eight Eagle batters came to the plate. Three of them reached on walks-two with the bases loaded-and that was all B.C. needed for the victory.

"Outside of that one lapse, Janet pitched super," Wentzell said.

Lane, meanwhile, put on a pitching exhibition of her own, refusing to let any Harvard hitters get on base the easy way. Besides showing off pinpoint control and a zippy delivery, she also changed speeds well all afternoon.

"She had good speed, and she mixed it up," Wentzell said of the Eagle hurler.

Harvard will have to be prepared to face pitchers of similar caliber-and velocity-in the coming weeks, when the squad gets into the meat of its schedule. Upcoming foes such as Penn and Princeton, who hit town this weekend, promise to place formidable figures on the hill.

The last two pitchers the Crimson has faced have been the fastest it has seen all year, and if it is to continue having success the squad will have to adjust.