It was written May 26: The Hawkeye baseball team just seems to have a feeling surrounding it. Every baseball fan knows what that feeling is, but no one can accurately describe it.

Iowa’s improbable come-from-behind 5-4 victory against Ohio State on May 27 only furthered the magic.

After busting top-seed Minnesota for 8 runs and 18 hits in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament, it was apparent Iowa had some mojo about it.

Numerous Iowa players mentioned the “Baseball Gods” after the win, noting how it seemed like every bounce went the Hawkeyes’ way.

But for the first eight innings of their second-round game versus Ohio State, it appeared that the “Baseball Gods” had gone somewhere else.

Until the bottom of the ninth.

The Hawkeyes had mustered just 2 hits off Buckeye starter John Havird in eight innings, and the Ohio State defense had smothered Iowa all game. But Havird was lifted in the ninth in favor of his bullpen, which has been “the identity of the team all year” said Ohio State head coach Greg Beals.

“I was surprised,” senior Tyler Peyton said of the decision to remove Havird from the game. “I thought he was throwing great. Looking at his line, that’s pretty unbelievable what he was doing. Lucky enough, they took him out.”

Peyton stepped to the plate in the bottom of the ninth to lead off the inning with his team down 4-0 and needing a lot of base runners to make a comeback. He fell behind 0-2, then fouled off four-straight pitches before lining a single into center field.

Seniors Nick Roscetti and Joel Booker followed with singles of their own, and the feeling that wasn’t there for the first 24 outs of the game made its way into TD Ameritrade Park.

Mason McCoy, Iowa’s junior third baseman, who had struck out twice on the day, stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and sent a ball up the middle just off the glove of the diving shortstop, making the score 4-1 in favor of Ohio State. It was just the bounce Iowa needed.

A hit-by-pitch and two more singles followed, including a hit by red-shirt junior Devin Pickett that tied the game at 4, the first RBI of his career.

“I’m proud of [Devin],” Roscetti, who is Pickett’s roommate, said. “He’s been fighting his whole career here. Hasn’t gotten many chances, but he’s the type of guy who always supports his teammates even though he’s not getting his at-bats. He’s always encouraging you, and he’s always ready.”

After junior Josh Martsching got out of a jam in the top of the 10th unscathed, there was little doubt whether the Hawkeyes would finish the game out in the bottom half.

The Hawkeyes loaded the bases without making an out (Peyton walked, Roscetti reached on an error, and Booker was hit by a pitch), and McCoy sent a fastball over the right fielder’s head to send the Hawkeyes home happy.

“What just happened?” were the first words out of Hawk coach Rick Heller’s mouth in his postgame press conference. “It’s kind of a blur right now. I couldn’t be prouder of the guys. That’s kind of the story of our season. Lots of times this year, we had the opportunity to give up and assume it was over, and it just goes to show you what you can do if you never give up.”

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