PROVIDENCE, R.I.--So much for the upstarts from Providence.

The Harvard baseball team took three giant steps toward its fourth straight Red Rolfe Division title this weekend, grabbing three of a four-game set with second-place Brown (19-15, 11-5 Ivy).

The Crimson (21-13, 13-3) got bulldog wins from yesterday's starters, freshman Ben Crockett and senior Donny Jamieson, plus a monster weekend from junior designated hitter Jeff Bridich, who was 9-for-16 with eight RBI and five runs scored. Bridich improved his average to a cool .400. HARVARD  15 BROWN  12 HARVARD  3 BROWN  4

Harvard also moved into sole possession of first place in the Rolfe and reduced its magic number to three. Harvard plays a home-and-home series with Dartmouth next weekend, while Brown does the same with Yale.

"Anytime we're in a weekend series with the guys on the bump we've got, we feel we have the advantage," said Harvard Coach Joe Walsh. "We got great performances from Crockett and Jamieson, we had Garett Vail coming back with a nice outing after X'ing out early on Saturday."

Harvard 6, Brown 2

In an anticlimactic finish, Harvard touched Bear starter Graeme Brown (2-3) for three runs in the third and never looked back, riding Jamieson's strong start and senior righthander Garett Vail's redemptive relief outing to a 6-2 win in yesterday's nightcap.

In the third, freshman second baseman Faiz Shakir reached on an error and moved over on a groundout and an infield single from captain Hal Carey before a walk to senior center fielder Andrew Huling loaded the bases. HARVARD  10 BROWN  5 HARVARD  6 BROWN  2

Brown then caught junior first baseman Erik Binkowski with a fastball in the ribcage to force in the game's first run.

A fielder's choice by senior catcher Jason Keck and an RBI single into left by Bridich quickly made it 3-0.

Brown got two gift-wrapped runs back in the third, packaging three Harvard errors--two by Carey and one by Bridich, who was playing left--with an RBI single by second baseman Jeff Lawler to close to 3-2.

But the Crimson extended its lead to 5-2 in the fifth on Bridich's sacrifice fly and sophomore right fielder Scott Carmack's run-scoring single up the middle.

"This was a big weekend for us, and I was lucky enough to be in situations where I was up with men on base," Bridich said. "I've been seeing the ball real well and I've had a lot of confidence at the plate."

Jamieson (4-0) notched his third straight Sunday afternoon win, with an assist from Saturday starter Vail, who spelled him during a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the fifth. Jamieson worked 4.2 innings and allowed just one earned run on three hits and four walks.

He helped his own cause by picking off second baseman Jeff Lawler in the first and starting a slick 1-4-3 double play in the fourth.

Vail came on with two outs and the sacks stacked in the fifth, and got left fielder Darren Merten, the hero of Saturday's nightcap, to ground out to second.