Rain pushes back Iowa's second-round game in Omaha

Heavy rain swept through TD Ameritrade Park on Thursday night, postponing Iowa’s second-round Big Ten Conference baseball tournament game against Ohio State.

Weather permitting, the eighth-seeded Hawkeyes and fourth-seeded Buckeyes are scheduled to play at 1 p.m. Friday. Big Ten Network will televise the winner’s bracket game from Omaha, Neb.

The Iowa-Ohio State loser would then face No. 5 seed Michigan later Friday at 9 p.m, while the winner hops into Saturday’s final four unscathed in the double-elimination tournament.

Unfortunately, more rain is forecast for Friday and Saturday in Omaha, so be prepared for more schedule adjustments.

Earlier Thursday, the tournament’s top two seeds — No. 2 Nebraska, then No. 1 Minnesota — became the first teams to exit the field with losses to Indiana and Michigan, respectively.

The Buckeyes (39-17-1) took two of three games in a series against Iowa (28-25) earlier this month in Columbus, Ohio. But in the game Iowa won, Tyler Peyton was on the mound — as he’s scheduled to be for this one against Buckeyes left-hander John Havird, who is 6-3 with a 3.32 ERA in 14 starts.

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Peyton (4-5, 4.28 ERA) allowed just two hits in seven innings on May 7 as Iowa beat the Buckeyes, 12-0. Iowa tagged Havird for six runs in 5⅔ innings in that win.

Iowa beat Ohio State in last year’s Big Ten tournament opener on the final pitch, when Nick Day cranked a two-run, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth for a 3-2 Hawkeye win.