By JOHN STREIT

Special to the Virginian-Pilot

NORFOLK

This time, Maury and Granby didn’t need 10 innings to settle the issue, the way they did twice this year while splitting a pair of Eastern District regular-season games.

Maury sent 11 batters to the plate and scored six runs in the decisive third inning Tuesday as the Commodores beat Granby 7-2 in a playoff for the district’s regular-season crown.

With the win, Maury (18-3, 13-2) also secured the district’s No. 1 seed in the Eastern Region tournament. Granby (12-8, 12-3), which had a two-game lead in the district a couple of weeks ago, will have to play its way through the district tournament in order to make the region field.

Third baseman John Garrett put the Commodores ahead for good with a two-out, bases-loaded single that made it 2-1.

After giving up a leadoff double to Doug Hatcher and retiring the next two batters, Granby starter Andrew Frazier lost command as he gave up back-to-back walks before yielding the go-ahead blow to Garrett.

Brian Bashara delivered an RBI single, Karter Rivera walked with the bases loaded and Hatcher banged a two-run single to cap the rally.

The outburst chased Frazier after just 2 2/3 innings.

“It was good to get some runs on the board there early,” said Maury junior righthander Coby Cowgill, who pitched a complete game just four days after going the distance in a 10-inning, 4-2 win over Granby that created a tie for the regular-season title. “It just made it a little easier with me not having the best stuff. I just had to fight throw it, but I came around.”

Although not as sharp as he was in his previous outing, Cowgill mustered 14 strikeouts and gave up only four hits. However, he walked five, hit a batter and continually pitched from behind in the count.

“I was trying to get ahead, but it didn’t work out too well,” said Cowgill, who fanned 21 and walked only two batters in Friday’s two-hitter against the Comets. “I didn’t have all my pitches today, but I just had to pull it through the zone and let my defense do work today.”

Cowgill, who pitched nine innings in a 5-4 10-inning loss to Granby earlier in the year, racked up 55 strikeouts in 26 innings against Maury’s cross-town rival.

Granby ace Greg Abetz, who pitched nine-and-two thirds innings in Friday’s loss, was withheld from Tuesday’s game due to an elevated pitch in that game.

“I know it was a big game, but had confidence in my No. 1 guy today,” Granby coach Robbie Butler said. “I told (Abetz) that he wouldn’t pick up a ball today, I didn’t care what the situation was.”