Tonight the crosstown meeting between the Alcovy and Eastside High varsity baseball squads will square off yet again, their third meeting in two years.

For the Eagles (1-2 overall), they are coming off their first win of the season, a 9-3 victory over Cedar Shoals on Wednesday night. Eastside received a stellar pitching performance from Cameron Davenport, who threw six strong innings.

In addition, the Eagles hit the ball quite well, something lacking during their first two losses of the season.

Despite battling the flu, Eastside head coach Michael Poor is expecting to be in attendance; however, he will serve as more of a spectator than anything else.

"I'm going to let my assistants take over," said Poor between bouts of coughing. "They do a very good job and I trust them 100 percent. I'm just going to be there kind of as an observer (tonight) watching the boys play."

Meanwhile, Alcovy (0-2) will be seeking its first win of the season, as well as its first W against the Eagles.

Last year Eastside swept the Tigers by the scores of 9-6 and 7-6. But as with all good rivalries, records are thrown out the door with each new meeting.

"Anytime that you can get a chance to play against guys that you know is great," said Poor. "I think it's a real good thing. It's a fantastic feeling for those boys to be able to compete against guys that they know, and to get the families and everybody involved in it. It turns out to be quite an experience."

And the matchup between these two young programs should not disappoint. The competitiveness of the game will be greater since many of the players are friends and have known each other for quite some time through various baseball organizations.

"From our side, we've just got to put the ball in play," noted Poor. "We've got to do the basics, basically - field the ball, hit the ball (and) have decent pitching. If we can perform the basics we're going to be in the game the entire night."

The first pitch is slated for 5:30 p.m. at Eastside Field.