The right-handed set-up specialist came on with two outs and a runner on second in the sixth inning with the Cats and Norwich Navigators deadlocked.

The slider was sliding wide of the strike zone. Frederick was struggling but managed to get Julio Mosquera on a line drive to center field.

He wasn't so fortunate the next inning.

Paul Ottavinia slashed a two-run single up the middle with two outs and the bases loaded Friday night as the Navigators remained alive in the Northern Division playoffs with a 7-3 win over the Cats before 3,920 at Dodd Stadium.

New Britain holds a 2-games-to-1 edge in the best-of-five series. The Cats turn to righty Kenny Pumphrey (8-2, 2.88 ERA) tonight against Norwich right-hander Brian Rogers (10-9, 3.96) in search of the clincher and a berth in the Eastern League finals.

"We're still in the driver's seat, but I'm a little disappointed that we pitched so defensively," New Britain manager Stan Cliburn said.

Frederick (1-1) began the seventh with a strikeout but yielded a single to Mike Cervenak, then walked Teuris Olivares and Scott Seabol in succession.

Frederick punched out the right-handed-hitting Marcus Thames with a flurry of breaking balls but fell behind the lefty-swinging Ottavinia, 2-0.

"The first pitch was a slider that I tried to make too nasty," Frederick said. "The next pitch was a fastball I yanked across my body. On 2-0, he knows a fastball's coming."

Ottavinia took the next pitch back up the middle.

"He's got an unbelievably good slider but he threw it for a ball," Ottavinia said. "I knew I was getting a fastball because that was his best chance for getting a strike. I knew he didn't want to walk in the (lead) run."

Cliburn felt Frederick got a little too carried away with the emotion of the moment after he got Mosquera to end the sixth.

"He rushed - too much adrenaline and it carried over to the next inning," Cliburn said. "Walking Olivares was trouble. He should have been an out. Seabol just put a good at-bat on him but he stayed back against Thames. Then he jerked the slider against Ottavinia. A good hitter is aggressive and he got the

From B1

seeing-eye single that took the wind out of us."

Norwich tacked on three runs in the eighth against right-hander Jeromy Palki, smacking four straight singles and batting around to win going away. One of the blows - a single by Cervenak -- was his fourth hit of the game.

The Navigators' third reliever Kevin Lovingier (1-0) allowed one hit in 1.1 innings to earn the win.

The Navigators' heralded fielding difficulties gave the Rock Cats a 1-0 lead in the second inning.

A grounder to shortstop by Jeff Smith with two outs was booted by Olivares. Lew Ford, mired in a terrible slump since hitting four homers in Binghamton August 19, grounded a single into left. Smith scored when the throw from Johnny Rodriguez sailed well to the third-base side of the plate.

Norwich's potent lineup offset the club's defensive woes all season (league-high 204 errors) and Friday was no exception.

Brandon Jackson beat out a broken-bat tapper to the mound. Cervenak (4-for-5, 2 runs) rifled the next pitch off the left-field wall to put runners on second and third. Olivares popped out but Seabol fisted a pop-fly double inside the right-field line to score two runs.

The Cats tied the game in the sixth. Michael Cuddyer, crowded by on a 0-2 pitch, kicked up chalk with a grounds-rule double. Justin Morneau singled to left but Cuddyer held second.

Merrill visited the mound but left starter Alex Graman in.

"He had only given up four hits to that point," Norwich manager Stump Merrill said. "He said he could get him out so I said, 'Go get him.'"

Michael Restovich made him pay with a sharp single to left scoring Cuddyer. Merrill promptly returned with the hook and brought on righty Jermy Blevins, who escaped further damage.

New Britain starter Brad Thomas allowed six hits and two runs in 5.2 frames. Graman surrendered five hits, three walks and one unearned run in 5.1 frames.

Cuddyer was hit in the left hand by a pitch as the Cats tried to come back in the ninth against Navs closer Domingo Jean. Cuddyer stayed in the game but had the hand wrapped and iced afterward, his availability for tonight unknown.

CATS TALES: The game was delayed exactly one hour because one light tower was not functioning and only half the bulbs were working in another. ... The Reading Phillies gained a 2-games-to-1 edge over the Erie SeaWolves in the Southern Division.

series Friday with a 5-2 win before 5,403 at Reading Municipal Stadium. EL All-Star J.P. Roberge and Travis Chapman hit homers in the eighth inning to break up a 2-2 tie. ... Norwich will use lefty Timmy Adkins in Game 5 rather than going back to first-game starter Brandon Claussen. The Cats are expected to counter with Juan Rincon, who started Game 1. ...