Although they dropped Game 2 of their first-round playoff series against Wayne Academy on Friday, it almost seemed inevitable that the Porters Chapel Eagles would collect themselves in time to win Game 3.

Not because they were that much better than Wayne, or because of their tenacity, but rather because losing would have meant the absence of one of the rites of spring in the Mississippi Independent Schools Association — a baseball playoff series between PCA and Heidelberg Academy.

The teams open the second round of the MAIS Class A playoffs tonight at 6 at Porters Chapel. It’s the sixth time in 11 years they’ve met in the postseason, a streak that includes three championship round matchups and a first-round sweep by PCA in 2010.