Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Jorge Soler and Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez were ejected after a fight near the mound in the fifth inning of the teams’ Tuesday game in Anaheim, Calif.

Soler, who homered in the first inning, and Lopez started staring each other down after the right-hander began the fifth-inning at-bat with a fastball well above the zone. Soler eventually began walking slowly toward the mound well after the pitch before he quickly charged, throwing a few punches at Lopez.

Lopez fended him off with his glove and appeared to hit Soler while holding the baseball in his right hand before the umpires and other players were able to intervene.

Both players were ejected. Lopez was nearing the end of his outing, at 80 pitches and 4 2/3 innings over which he struck out seven and allowed two runs on three hits and two walks.

Soler, the 2021 World Series MVP for the Braves, opened the scoring on Wednesday with his two-run shot in the first against his former team.

Tyler Kinley replaced Lopez, stranding a runner at third, while Jeimer Candelario replaced Soler in the Angels’ lineup.

–Field Level Media

UCLA’s romp to the Women’s NCAA Tournament championship against South Carolina on Sunday, despite the one-sided score, drew the third-highest rating for a women’s title game, ESPN announced on Tuesday.

The Bruins’ 79-51 victory over the Gamecocks drew an average of 9.9 million viewers with a peak of 10.7 million viewers. That was a 15% gain on the 2025 final in which UConn downed South Carolina 82-59.

The record for a women’s championship game was set in 2024 when 18.9 million viewers on average and 24.1 million at its peak saw South Carolina defeat Iowa. The 2023 final, in which LSU topped Iowa, attracted 9.92 million on average, with a peak of 12.6 million.

Both the 2023 and 2024 games featured popular Iowa star Caitlyn Clark.

As a whole, this year’s Final Four was the second-most watched since ESPN became the broadcaster in 1996. The three games this year drew an average of 6.7 million viewers.

South Carolina took down top overall seed UConn 62-48 in the semifinals, with 5.4 million tuning in on average, peaking at 7.7 million. The rating was up 47% from the corresponding game last year.

In the other semifinal, UCLA beat Texas 51-44 in another matchup of No. 1 seeds, drawing 5 million viewers on average with a high of 5.2 million. The game saw a 19% viewership increase from the corresponding 2025 contest.

This year’s two semifinals were the fourth- and fifth-most viewed semis in the ESPN era.

–Field Level Media

David Martinez scored twice and Son Heung-Min added a goal and an assist as host Los Angeles FC routed Cruz Azul on Tuesday during the first leg of a CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinal matchup.

The two-game, total-goal series will conclude on April 14 in Puebla, Mexico. The victorious team will face off with Toluca or the Los Angeles Galaxy in the semifinals.

Mathieu Choiniere set up Son with a cross from the right side on a breakaway, and Son finished from 10 yards out to open the scoring in the 30th minute.

LAFC again attacked down the right flank in the 39th minute, with Martinez beating his defender 1-on-1 and rolling the ball under goalkeeper Kevin Mier from short range.

Martinez capped the scoring in the 58th minute, dribbling the ball from his own half of the field into the Cruz Azul penalty area, where his 12-yard, left-footed shot beat Mier inside the far post.

Nashville SC 0, Club America 0

Brian Schwake made four saves, helping Nashville SC play to a scoreless draw against visiting Club America.

The two-game, total-goal series finishes on April 14 in Mexico City.

Club America goalkeeper Rodolfo Cota was credited with three saves.

Nashville wound up with a 13-8 edge in overall shot attempts, and the hosts held possession for 56.1% of the contest.

The winner of the series will oppose either Tigres UANL or the Seattle Sounders in the semifinals.

–Field Level Media