BASKETBALL
Women's final tops men's
The women's NCAA championship game drew a bigger television audience than the men's title game for the first time, with an average of 18.9 million viewers watching undefeated South Carolina beat Iowa and superstar Caitlin Clark, according to ratings released Tuesday. The Sunday afternoon game on ABC and ESPN outdrew Monday's men's final between UConn and Purdue by four million. The Huskies' 75-60 victory averaged 14.82 million on TBS and TNT. The audience for the women's game -- in which the Gamecocks won their fourth national title and denied the Hawkeyes their first -- peaked at 24.1 million during the final 15 minutes. It was the second most-watched non-Olympic women's sporting event on U.S. television, trailing only the 2015 Women's World Cup final between the United States and Japan, which averaged 25.4 million on Fox. That also was on a Sunday and took place in prime time on the East Coast. The record for the most-watched women's basketball game still belongs to the gold medal game of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics between the United States and Brazil, which averaged 19.5 million. South Carolina Coach Dawn Staley played for that U.S. team. The audience for the national title game was up 90% over last year when Iowa fell to LSU. That also was the first time since 1995 that the championship was on network television.
Clark takes Wooden
Iowa's Caitlin Clark won the John R. Wooden Award for the second straight year as the nation's top women's college basketball player Tuesday. The other finalists were Cameron Brink of Stanford, Paige Bueckers of UConn, Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame and JuJu Watkins of Southern California. All five women have been invited to Los Angeles for the award presentation Friday. Clark led the Hawkeyes to their second straight appearance in the NCAA title game, where they lost to undefeated South Carolina. She led the nation in scoring at 31.6 points per game and in assists with an average of 8.9 per game, becoming the first player to lead both categories in consecutive years.
BASEBALL
Twins get bullpen help
The Minnesota Twins acquired right-hander Michael Tonkin from the New York Mets to aid their injury-depleted bullpen Tuesday, reuniting the 34-year-old with his original major league team. The Twins placed right fielder Max Kepler on the 10-day injured list to make room on the 26-man roster. Kepler, who bruised his right knee when he fouled off a ball in the opener on March 28, has one hit in 20 at-bats with one walk. The Twins sent cash to the Mets for Tonkin, who was designated for assignment Friday. He took 2 losses in 3 games, with 6 hits and 2 runs allowed in 4 innings. Tonkin went 7-3 with a 4.28 ERA over 80 innings with 75 strikeouts in 45 games last season for the Atlanta Braves, his first MLB action in six years. Tonkin, who was a 30th-round draft pick in 2008, debuted with the Twins in 2013 and pitched in parts of 5 seasons with a 4.43 ERA over 146 1/3 innings with 149 strikeouts.
Nats' Gray on IL
Washington Nationals opening day starter Josiah Gray went on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a right elbow and forearm problem, among of a series of pitchers hurt around the majors early this season. "It's a flexor strain," Nationals Manager Dave Martinez said Tuesday. "The tendon looks good. He's just going to take some time off and build back some strength, and then we'll try to get him back as soon as possible." Gray, a right-hander who was an National League All-Star last season, is 0-2 with a 14.04 ERA this season. The IL move was retroactive to Saturday. In his most recent appearance, a 7-4 loss to Pittsburgh, Gray exited after 4 1/3 innings. He gave up 6 runs, 7 hits and 3 walks.
White Sox 3B goes down
Chicago White Sox third baseman Yoan Moncada had to be helped off the field after injuring his left hip in the second inning Tuesday night. Moncada was running to first base after hitting a grounder when he pulled up and collapsed short of the bag. Moncada laid in the infield dirt for a few minutes before being helped to his feet and was assisted to the dugout and clubhouse. The White Sox said Moncada suffered a left adductor (hip) strain and will be re-evaluated today. Moncada's injury is just the latest for the struggling White Sox, who are already missing outfielder Luis Robert Jr. (hip flexor) and slugger Eloy Jimenez (adductor).
Astros' Valdez sits
Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday because of elbow inflammation as Manager Joe Espada said he hoped the pitcher will miss only a couple of starts. "He's going to need some time to recover," Espada said before the Astros played Kansas City on Tuesday night. Valdez was scratched from his scheduled start in the series opener, returned to Houston on Monday night and was diagnosed with inflammation on top of the elbow. The Astros made the IL placement retroactive to Saturday.
Urias faces misdemeanor charges
Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias has been charged with five misdemeanors stemming from his his arrest last September on suspicion of domestic violence, authorities said Tuesday. Urias, 27, faces charges including one count of spousal battery, two counts of domestic battery involving a dating relationship, one count of false imprisonment and one count of assault, according to the Los Angeles City Attorney's office. Arraignment is scheduled for May 2. Urias was placed on administrative leave indefinitely by MLB after his arrest outside BMO Stadium in Los Angeles where he attended a Major League Soccer game. Police were first alerted by a citizen who reported a man and woman were in a physical altercation. Urias was arrested by Department of Public Safety officers on felony suspicion of domestic violence. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office decided in January not to file felony charges and turned the case over to the city attorney to consider misdemeanors. According to a charge evaluation worksheet from the district attorney's office, Urias was arguing with his wife when he "pushed (her) against a fence and pulled her by the hair or shoulders." However, the document said, "Neither the Victim's injuries nor the Defendant's criminal history justify a felony filing." Urias, 27, became a free agent after the World Series. He spent the first eight years of his career with the Dodgers. The leave was imposed under baseball's joint domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy with the players' association and can be the first step toward a suspension. Players are paid but cannot play while on leave. MLB said in a statement Tuesday that its investigation is ongoing but declined to comment further.