Junior left fielder Javy Lopez strode to the plate in the ninth inning against Northeastern yesterday seeking to be the hero for the Harvard baseball team for the second straight week.

He fell just a few feet short.

With the Crimson trailing by two and the tying runs on base with two outs, Lopez launched a deep drive to right that appeared destined to land beyond the fence and give Harvard the lead.

But Huskies right fielder Todd Korchin made a spectacular grab, reaching over the outfield wall to rob Lopez-who had knocked in the game-winning run for Harvard against Holy Cross last Wednesday-of the go-ahead homer.

The catch ended the Crimson's comeback attempt and preserved a 4-2 win for the Huskies (8-18) in a wild affair at Friedman Diamond yesterday.

The contest-which featured 19 men left on base, six errors, and two ejections-was a wacky one from start to finish.

By the seventh inning, Harvard (12-19, 7-5 Ivy) was down to one coach and had its catcher playing first and its third baseman on the mound.

In fact, junior Nick Carter pitched well in relief after starting the game at third. But when he took the mound in the bottom of the seventh with the game tied 2-2, he faced a nearly impossible situation with the bases full of Huskies and no outs.