ARLINGTON, Texas -- Maybe Shohei Ohtani was just a bit tired, as manager Phil Nevin joked, when the two-way star took his last big swing for the Los Angeles Angels and matched the MLB lead with his 22nd homer -- and fourth in their series-clinching victory over AL West-leading Texas.

After Ohtani threw six innings to get his first victory in his past five starts, he hit another second-deck homer the opposite way, though this two-run blast in the eighth went "only" 443 feet as the Angels won 5-3 on Thursday night to take three of four games.

"Gutsy six innings, two runs against a really, really good lineup. Thought he threw the ball great," Nevin said. "Let's talk about the hitting, too. Yeah, that was nice. ... Just an unreal series.

"What this game's meant for a lot of us here, nice to see him on a big stage do stuff like that."

Ohtani's 10th homer in his past 16 games, and the second pitching start in a row when he also went deep, matched Pete Alonso for the big league lead and extended his hitting streak to 12 games. The left-handed hitter also went into the upper deck to the left of center in the series opener Monday and again Wednesday -- those going 459 and 453 feet. His second homer in Monday's game, a 388-foot drive that just cleared the left-field wall, came on the first pitch of the 12th inning.

"Obviously a huge win, they're in first place, and I think all the boys were fired up because of that," Ohtani said through his translator. "I'm seeing the ball really well and I feel really good in my setup."

Ohtani (6-2) had already thrown the last of his 99 pitches before Mickey Moniak's tying homer leading off the top of the seventh against Nathan Eovaldi (9-3), who lost in his bid to become only the second 10-game winner in the majors.

The Angels (39-32) have won nine of their past 11 overall. They're still 4 1/2 games behind the Rangers (42-26), who have dropped six of eight.

After Angels closer Carlos Estevez walked the bases loaded to start the ninth, Jacob Webb got his first save, working around a bases-loaded walk before striking out slugger Adolis Garcia to end it.

Ohtani, who remained in as the designated hitter, homered soon after Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien, pitching coach Mike Maddux and manager Bruce Bochy were all ejected by first base umpire Ramon De Jesus.

In the bottom of the seventh, with Texas down 3-2 and a runner at third, Semien thought he had drawn a walk. He was heading toward first base after the full-count pitch when De Jesus instead signaled he had not held up his swing.

Semien took a long walk to the dugout, even pointing at his eyes while glaring toward the umpire.

"It's a call that might have turned that game around, we don't know, but certainly was a huge call that went against us," Bochy said.

When Semien went out on the field for the eighth, he stopped and appeared to be having a calm discussion with De Jesus before getting ejected. Maddux then ran out of the dugout to get in between them and was also thrown out before Bochy followed and was also ejected.

"I'm just mad at myself for even offering at that pitch, but I thought I made a good take," Semien said, adding that he never got an answer from De Jesus on what he said to get tossed.

In the series opener Monday, De Jesus ejected Angels infielder Brandon Drury after he got into the umpire's face to argue a called third strike. He was suspended by MLB for one game for making slight contact with De Jesus, and was sitting out Thursday's game to satisfy that suspension.

Ohtani struck out three and walked one, allowing six hits and two runs -- in a three-batter stretch with two outs in the third when Lowe and Garcia had back-to-back doubles before Jonah Heim's RBI single.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Bristol Bears have signed four new players, including Saracens and England prop Hannah Botterman.

She is joined by Worcester centre Meg Varley, 23, and Scotland fly-half Meryl Smith and prop Ellian Clarke, both 22, from Edinburgh University.

"Hannah is one of the standout looseheads in world rugby," said Bristol head coach Dave Ward.

"Her ball-carrying ability and work at the breakdown is some of the best in the game and we are thrilled she has decided to join us at Bears.

"She has already won multiple Premier 15s titles and that experience will be invaluable as we continue to build a team to win the league."

LAS VEGAS -- Less than four hours before Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final was set to begin Tuesday on the Las Vegas Strip, authorities in Nevada arrested a man they say threatened to carry out a mass shooting at T-Mobile Arena, the venue where the Golden Knights would capture their first championship that night.

An arrest report released Thursday by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department identifies the suspect as Matthew DeSavio, who is described by detectives in the document as a 33-year-old man with a history of mental illness and arrests "that would cause a reasonable person to feel terrorized, frightened, intimidated, harassed or fearful for their immediate safety." The report doesn't say whether detectives have found any weapons in DeSavio's possession.

A lawyer who could comment on DeSavio's behalf wasn't listed in jail or court records Thursday evening.

In a series of rambling text messages, phone calls and social media posts Tuesday, according to the report, the suspect threatened to "shoot up" the hockey game against the Florida Panthers in a massacre that would rival the October 2017 mass shooting on the Strip. That mass shooting -- the deadliest in modern American history -- left 60 dead and hundreds more injured.

At least three people contacted police about the suspect in the hours before his arrest Tuesday afternoon. The 911 callers included an acquaintance from grade school who told police DeSavio has been stalking her for close to a decade, as well as a relative with an active restraining order against DeSavio, according to the report.

Court records show DeSavio's arrests in Las Vegas date to 2014 on charges that include domestic battery and stalking. Most recently, according to the records, he was arrested in October on a felony charge of threatening an act of terrorism or mass destruction.

Details surrounding those threats weren't immediately available Thursday, but the court records show he was ordered to undergo a competency evaluation.

According to a motion filed in March by his public defender in that case, DeSavio was "diagnosed with a mental illness and found incompetent to stand trial." But after that finding, he remained at the county jail in downtown Las Vegas for more than 70 days instead of undergoing treatment because, the motion said, there were no beds available at either of the state's two forensic psychiatric facilities.

A judge dismissed the terrorism charge against DeSavio in April after the state again failed to place him at one of the facilities, according to the judge's order. He was released from custody.

Now, DeSavio faces another charge of threatening an act of terrorism or mass destruction after his arrest Tuesday, court records show. He also faces a felony charge of aggravated stalking and a gross misdemeanor charge for allegedly violating the restraining order against his relative.

According to his arrest report, he was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon at the workplace of one of the 911 callers, who told police the suspect had been harassing her for years, after the two met in school.

While the woman was being interviewed by police Tuesday, DeSavio called her. "No more nice man," he said, according to a transcript of the call detailed in the arrest report. "I'm headed to your office now. I'm almost there."

Police said he was arrested without incident when he arrived. DeSavio was being held Thursday at the county jail on $60,000 bail. Records show he has not been formally charged in the case and is scheduled to appear in court next week.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

LOS ANGELES – Pundits and fans throughout the golf world felt Max Homa had a distinct advantage this week at Los Angeles Country Club; as holder of the course record and an LA native, he has experience around this track not many others can match.

All that talk? Overstated white noise to Homa.

“If it were something like we played a normal Tour event and we had maybe a day to get ready, it would probably be a bit more of an advantage,” Homa said. “But the majors, we get so much time and people are so diligent about it… The advantage I have is that I'm very, very comfortable in this city, and I'm with friends and family and it just is a short trip and all that.”

Homa avoided big mistakes and felt the hometown love right from the start of his 2-under 68 Thursday.

His group, which also included LA-native Collin Morikawa and Scottie Scheffler, featured the largest gallery during the morning wave. A massive following amassed on the sixth green when Homa’s group arrived, and he rewarded the crowd with a delicate birdie after laying up down the left side of the fairway. Unfortunately, he gave that shot back with a bogey on the long par-3 seventh.

Homa is happy with his start at LACC despite dealing with all the pre-tournament hype and some noted Thursday struggles. He's six shots off the lead, and his course record is still intact, although Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele certainly gave him a scare with their 62s.

“I think that they have the old cliche that you can't win it the first day, but you could lose it, and I lose a lot of these things on the first day,” he said. “It's nice to just do good out there and treat it like a round of golf and not put too much on it.”

LOS ANGELES – Despite all of the poor form and off-course drama, Bryson DeChambeau still believes when he gets to a major championship venue, his distance presents a considerable advantage.

Recent results make it hard to argue.

In his past three majors, DeChambeau has a pair of top-10 finishes with a missed cut at the Masters sandwiched in-between. He left Oak Hill Country Club and the PGA Championship oozing with confidence, which rolled over into a 3-under 67 in the first round of the U.S. Open.

“You put everybody on a really difficult golf course or a testing golf course, I feel like someone that can hit it far has an advantage if they're able to somewhat keep it in play,” he said.

DeChambeau birdied all three par 5s at Los Angeles Country Club Thursday and sits tied for third. He led the morning wave in driving distance, averaging 334.5 yards off the tee. He now sits five strokes behind record-setters Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele.

He also birdied the drivable par-4 sixth, which he plans to go for every round of the tournament.

“I think personally, just being in the (rough) right off the tee and chipping it up there, hopefully close on the green and giving yourself a 20-footer for birdie, worst case scenario, is the best thing you can do every day,” he said.

DeChambeau is trending in the right direction, and Thursday represented his ninth round of 69 or better at a U.S. Open since 2017. Only Brooks Koepka and Schauffele have more.

But he is still, and always, tinkering. He spoke about force and stability through impact during his post-round press conference. DeChambeau also admited he prepares differently for major championships, and he’s spent more time on the driving range recently than he ever has in his career.

The end game? A repeatable and reliable swing that made him the 2020 U.S. Open champ.

“Just going to take a little bit more time. A little bit more grinding. A little more thought,” Dechambeau said. “Got to come up with something unique that allows me to be super stable through impact like I was.”

LOS ANGELES – Rickie Fowler spent a long, wasted Thursday on the range last year at The Country Club hoping, hitting and, ultimately, going home.

“I got some good work in,” Fowler laughed Thursday at Los Angeles Country Club when asked about last year’s U.S. Open.

Fowler began the first round at Brookline as the first alternate and never sniffed the golf course, perhaps the cruelest of destinies for any professional to be so close to something and yet completely detached.

There was no measure of revenge for Fowler on Day 1 on the North Course. He’s ridden the extremes of professional golf for far too long to ever tempt fate in such a way, but there was a measure of satisfaction that went beyond the historical significance of his championship-record 62.

If he was so inclined, Fowler could have reflected on the journey from forlorn first alternate to first-round co-leader as a metaphor for his last few years. At Brookline he ranked outside the top 140 in the world ranking and had failed to post a top 20 in his previous 12 starts.

As he waited for a tee time that never came at The Country Club, he still had the easy smile and approachability that’s made him a fan favorite since he arrived on Tour with his signature bright orange flat-brim hat, but he was searching and there were no easy answers. His work with swing coach John Tillery wasn’t paying off and he was three years removed from his last victory on the PGA Tour.

Rock bottom came last fall when Fowler split with Tillery and his long-time caddie Joe Skovron. He went back to Butch Harmon, the coach he’d had the most success with, and the results followed.

He finished 2022 strong with a runner-up showing at the Zozo Championship, his best finish since his victory at the ’19 WM Phoenix Open, and he’s been the most consistent player on Tour this year not named Jon Rahm or Scottie Scheffler. In 13 starts in ’23 he’s missed one cut and has 10 top-20 finishes, including his tie for ninth two weeks ago at the Memorial, and has climbed back into the top 50 in the world ranking (No. 45).

It would have been impossible to predict Fowler’s historic round at Los Angeles Country Club, but for anyone who has been paying attention his 10-birdie effort was hardly a surprise.

The road back never led to the North Course, but Fowler was comfortable putting his opening round in perspective given the depth of his journey.

“It's definitely been long and tough. A lot longer being in that situation than you'd ever want to. But it makes it so worth it having gone through that and being back where we are now,” Fowler said. “I would say we're starting to get maybe as close as we've ever been to where I was through kind of that ’14, ’15 area.”

It's a testament to how well Fowler is playing that his record 62 was relatively stress-free, with far more highlights than good breaks. There was the 5-iron from 214 yards to a front hole location at the 16^th hole, which is playing the second toughest with a 4.35 scoring average. There was an unlikely birdie at the par-5 eighth hole from the barranca that was best played “quickly.”

“Really just tried to hit it fairly quickly, just react to it, don't really think about it a whole lot. It was just a pitching wedge that I was trying to catch clean and kind of caught up against the wind,” he explained. And there was a healthy mix of mid-range putts, including seven longer than 8 feet, that left him first from the early wave in strokes gained: putting.

Fowler held the 18-hole championship scoring record alone for all of 25 minutes before Xander Schauffele joined him with a 62 of his own, but that does nothing to take away from the accomplishment. For the majority of the field, the North Course was the scruffy brute they expected.

“I don't think you'll be seeing too much of that over the weekend.  Heck of a round, U.S. Open golf course,” Scheffler acknowledged. “I didn't see 8 under out there today, especially with the way I started.”

After the difficult times, Fowler can now attest to the mental toughness that only comes with adversity and an appreciation that’s difficult to muster when things are going well, but the 12-month transformation from first alternate to first-to-shoot-a-62-in-a-U.S.-Open can be traced directly to his return to Harmon and the legendary swing coach’s unique touch.

“Butch is great, just his voice and having him in your corner. He's been around and seen a lot and been around so many great players. He's coached so many guys to reach their potential,” Fowler said. “I feel like he's a very good golf and life coach. Kind of separate from being kind of a swing coach. He can be technical and mechanical if needed, but he understands the playing and the mental side and if you may be a little off finding one thing or just telling you just something to give you a little confidence.”

After so many years on the wrong side of fortune, Fowler had no interest in taking a victory lap with three rounds remaining on a uniquely challenging golf course and the USGA likely poised to put the teeth back into the game’s “toughest test.” But the 34-year-old was also willing to savor the moment.

Very rarely do star-crossed players find their way back. Even more rarely do first alternates go on to rewrite the game’s most venerable history books.

LOS ANGELES – Scottie Scheffler was already enjoying one of the best ball-striking stretches in PGA Tour history.

Now, is his putter finally starting to heat up?

Scheffler opened this 123^rd U.S. Open in 3-under 67, five shots back of co-leaders Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele, as he rolled in five birdies among 29 putts and gained just over a shot and a half with the putter on Thursday at Los Angeles Country Club.

“Pretty good,” Scheffler said of his putting. “I mean, I rolled it nice, saw some putts go in.”

It was a succinct answer, though it’s hard to blame Scheffler for getting too excited about one strong performance on the greens considering his flatstick hiccups entering this week. Scheffler is ranked No. 148 in strokes gained putting (-0.231 shots per round), hasn’t finished an event inside the top 30 in that stat since winning in Phoenix and lost almost three and a half strokes per round on the greens in his last two starts combined.

Luckily for Scheffler, his ball-striking has carried him as he remains atop the Official World Golf Ranking. He leads the Tour in three major strokes gained categories – off the tee, approach and tee to green – while sitting an elite sixth in strokes gained around the green. Jon Rahm is second in strokes gained tee to green, almost a full shot less than Scheffler. Prior to last week, Scheffler had gained exactly three shots tee to green this calendar year, on pace to rank behind only Tiger Woods’ 2006 display (3.22) in the ShotLink era, which began in 2004.

Scheffler placed third at the Memorial Tournament two weeks ago, gaining 20.69 total shots from tee to green, a performance that had been eclipsed only by Vijay Singh. At Muirfield Village, no player came within nine shots gained of Scheffler with the non-putting clubs. But Scheffler also lost a total of nearly eight and a half strokes with the putter that week.

With Scheffler currently on a run that boasts 16 straight finishes of T-12 or better, including two wins and eight top-5s (four straight entering the U.S. Open), it’s not hard to wonder what that record would look like had Scheffler just been a tad better with the flatstick.

Scheffler certainly knows the possibilities if he’s even an average performer on the greens, which is why he switched putters for this week’s U.S. Open, going to a slightly wider Scotty Cameron Timeless Tourtype GSS that features a smooth face and aluminum sole plate.

“I don't ever take decisions on switching equipment lightly,” Scheffler said Tuesday. “I think it's strange that I've been struggling the past few weeks with my putter. … I mean, sometimes you just got to bring another putter around there to make the original one scared.”

Fear not, Scheffler fans, as the replacement may be sticking around a little longer.

Scheffler began his opening round at LACC, a course that he played a Walker Cup on six years ago, with a shocking bogey. He drove his ball up against the lip of the left fairway bunker, wedged his third shot into another trap and couldn’t convert his 20-footer for par.

“There’s literally one place on the entire hole you can hit it where you won't have a shot,” Scheffler said, “and my ball found its way in there.”

From there, Scheffler spun his wheels for a bit, carding par after par on an easier side of the course. But when he got a 7-footer for birdie to drop after a beautiful tee ball at the par-3 ninth, Scheffler caught fire. He canned birdie putts of 18 feet and 19 feet at Nos. 10 and 12, respectively. Later he got a pair of 9-footers for birdie to drop, at Nos. 15 and 16. Sure, he whiffed on a 3-footer for par to three-putt the last, but overall, Scheffler was pleased with the display.

“It was frustrating to get off to that slow of a start,” Scheffler said, “but I still was able to shoot 3 under, so I was most proud of how I hung in there today and played some solid golf.”

Earlier this week, Scheffler was peppered with questions about his putting struggles, to which Scheffler responded with an insightful thought as to why he wasn’t fretting like some of his critics.

“Putting is different because it's one of those things that has finality attached to it,” Scheffler explained. “Whereas if I hit a really good 6-iron, sometimes it's going to go to 2 feet and sometimes it's going to go to 15 feet. It's like, oh, well to you it doesn't make a huge difference. If I hit a 6-footer and I hit a really good putt and one time it goes in and then one time it doesn't, everyone is like, ‘Oh, why did he miss that putt?’ It's like, ‘Well actually, I hit a really good putt and there's a heel print, there's something.’

“Putting is such like an art that I try not to add too much finality to what I'm doing on the greens.”

If all 14 of Scheffler's paintbrushes keep cooperating, the finished canvas come Sunday evening could show a U.S. Open-winning picture.

BELMONT, Mich. — Defending champion Jennifer Kupcho birdied the par-5 18th for a 6-under 66 and a share of the first-round lead Thursday in the Meijer LPGA Classic.

Kupcho birdied four of the five par-5 holes in a bogey-free round at Blythefield Country Club. She was tied with Ayaka Furue, Frida Kinhult, Lindsey Weaver-Wright and Cheyenne Knight.

“I think it kind of sets up really well for my game,” Kupcho said. “Five par 5s, I like par 5s at all golf courses, so certainly helps. I think I just feel really comfortable in general. Played pretty well here even aside from the wind.”

Kupcho is making her second title defense of the year, but the first came in the relocated major Chevron Championship on a new course Texas.

“It’s definitely a lot different defending this versus Chevron,” Kupcho said. “Just knowing the golf course, knowing where most of the pin placements are going to be, it’s just a whole level of comfort.”

Knight also had a bogey-free round.

“This course you can make a lot of birdies if you position yourself well off the tee, especially.” Knight said. “So, I played pretty solid today. Didn’t make a ton of mistakes and, when I did, I was able to recover.”

Ally Ewing was a stroke back at 67 with Amy Yang, Emily Kristine Pedersen, Alison Lee and Eun-Hee Ji.

“If you hit solid golf shots here you can make some birdies,” Ewing said. “So, I just stuck with a good game plan and tried to give myself a lot of looks and was able to convert some longer putts early on.”

Ashleigh Buhai, the ShopRite LPGA Classic winner last week in New Jersey, and Minjee Lee topped the group at 68.

Brooke Henderson, the Canadian who won the event in 2017 and 2019, opened with a 69. Lexi Thompson, the 2015 winner, also shot 69.

The major KPMG Women’s PGA Championship is next week at Baltusrol in New Jersey.

Substitute Joselu scored a fortunate winner three minutes from the end as Spain booked their place in a second successive Nations League final with a deserved 2-1 victory over Italy on Thursday.

Coach Luis de la Fuente's side will meet Croatia in Sunday's decider in Rotterdam having lost to France in the final two years ago. Italy take on hosts Netherlands for the bronze medal.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

Spain capitalised on a defensive lapse to take the lead inside three minutes as Yeremy Pino produced a cool finish, but when debutant Robin Le Normand handled the ball in the box, Italy's Ciro Immobile scored his first international goal in two years from the penalty spot.

Extra-time looked inevitable as both teams ran out of ideas in search of a winner, and perhaps fittingly it came in bizarre circumstances when Rodri's fierce shot bounced off two defenders and fell kindly for Joselu to poke home from four yards. 

Spain now face a Croatia side who they beat 5-3 after extra-time in the round of 16 at the Euro 2020 finals.

"The team played a great game," Joselu told reporters. "We dominated almost the entire second half, just the goal was missing.

"I was alone after Rodri's shot, it fell (to me) and I was confident I wasn't offside. I'm happy for my goal because we're now into a final with a chance to win a trophy."

Thursday's result in Enschede was a repeat of their 2021 semifinal and became a battle between Spain's possession game and Italy's ability to hit them on the counter-attack with swift breaks.

Spain enjoyed 61% of the ball, but as has been the case for them in recent times struggled to make use of it.

They were gifted the opener when Leonardo Bonucci was caught in possession by Yeremy, and the Spaniard slid the ball into the far corner.

But Italy struck back straight away with good fortune of their own. They were awarded a clear penalty when debutant centre-back Le Normand handled the ball in the box and Immobile sent Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon the wrong way from the spot.

Italy thought they had hit the front when Jorginho's excellent pass put Davide Frattesi through on goal, but his calm finish was in vain as he was ruled offside by inches.

Spain were a whisker away from regaining the lead when Mikel Merino's shot was brilliantly saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma and Alvaro Morata put the loose ball inches wide of the post.

At the other end, Simon made a magnificent stop to deny Davide Frattesi from a swift Italian break.

The game fell into a lull in the final 20 minutes before Joselu, who had only been on the pitch three minutes, was in the right place at the right time to guide Spain into another final.

"Spain deserved it, even if they only found the goal right near the end. We set up slightly differently, but we couldn't do much in the second half," Italy coach Roberto Mancini told RAI.

Jesse Marsch is out of the running to be the next manager of the United States men's team, according to his agent Ron Waxman.

Waxman put out a tweet Thursday afternoon that said Marsch, 49, "will not be the next #USMNT manager."

The news is something of a surprise given that Marsch was the presumed favorite to land the job, despite struggling at his last two club coaching positions. He was fired by Leeds United last February with the team just outside the relegation places.

Leeds ultimately failed in their attempt to avoid the drop, finishing 19th out of 20 teams, and will play in the English Championship next season. Marsch was also fired by RB Leipzig just four months into the 2021-22 season.

But Marsch's experience in Europe, where he had success with Austrian side FC Salzburg, as well as the fact that he was a product of the U.S. system, having played and managed in MLS made him the presumed front runner.

The news comes as U.S. World Cup manager Gregg Berhalter continues to be linked with multiple managerial vacancies. These include Eredivisie club Sparta Rotterdam as well as Club America, though sources tell ESPN Mexico that the Liga MX side has turned its sights to San Luis manager Andre Jardin.

Berhalter, 49, has been in limbo since the end of 2022 and in the wake of an investigation into allegations of domestic violence against him from 1992 involving his now-wife, Rosalind, when they were students at the University of North Carolina.

The investigation concluded that the Berhalters responded truthfully during the investigation, confirming that the incident took place, with the USSF stating that Berhalter was still a candidate to resume his post as U.S. manager.

A U.S. Soccer spokesperson told ESPN last month that "nothing has changed" with regard to Berhalter's candidacy.

Previous USMNT coach Anthony Hudson, who took over the team on an interim basis in January after Berhalter's contract expired following the World Cup, stepped down at the end of May and was replaced by B.J. Callaghan, also an interim coach.

The USSF, which appointed Matt Crocker as sporting director in April, said it expects to name a permanent head coach in August. Callaghan will oversee the USMNT for the Nations League finals June 15-18 and the biennial Gold Cup after that.

The U.S. plays Mexico in the Nations League semifinals Thursday night in Las Vegas, with the winner playing Canada in the final.