Sports News Roundup: Votto lifts Reds past Royals in tenth; U.S. Big Ten, Pac-12 postpone fall college football and more

Judge blasts ninth homer as Yankees top Braves Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading ninth homer, Luke Voit hit a three-run homer and the New York Yankees recorded a 9-6 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night to remain unbeaten at home.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Judge blasts ninth homer as Yankees top Braves

Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading ninth homer, Luke Voit hit a three-run homer and the New York Yankees recorded a 9-6 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night to remain unbeaten at home. Starting a stretch where they will not leave New York until Aug. 25, the Yankees improved to 5-0 at Yankee Stadium. It is the fifth time since 1989 the Yankees opened up 5-0 at home or better.

NHL roundup: Lightning edge Jackets in fifth OT

Brayden Point's goal in the fifth overtime period gave the Tampa Bay Lightning a dramatic 3-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round quarterfinal series on Tuesday in Toronto. At 10:27 of the fifth extra period, a shot bounced off Columbus defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and back to Point, who blasted the rebound into the net for his second goal of the game.

U.S. Big Ten, Pac-12 postpone fall college football, other sports, due to COVID-19

Two of the five wealthiest U.S. college sports conferences postponed the fall football season on Tuesday because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a critical blow to both an iconic American cultural tradition and a multibillion-dollar entertainment industry. The Big Ten and Pac-12 powerhouse members include perennial national football title contenders like the University of Michigan, Ohio State University, and the University of Southern California. The Big Ten suspended fall sports, while the Pac-12 said it would not hold any sports competitions for the remainder of the year.

Five 'bubbles', 400,000 fans and full prize money at 2021 Australian Open

The 2021 Australian Open could be moved to later in the year due to COVID-19 but tournament director Craig Tiley told Reuters that organizers are confident of hosting the Grand Slam in its usual January slot with full prize money and fans in the stands. Melbourne is in the midst of a full lockdown after a second spike in COVID-19 cases but Tiley and his team have been working since shortly after the 2020 edition finished to draw up strategies to ensure next year's tournament goes ahead.

Votto lifts Reds past Royals in tenth

Joey Votto doubled off the center-field wall, scoring Nick Senzel with the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning as the Cincinnati Reds defeated the visiting Kansas City Royals 6-5 Tuesday. The Reds earned their first walk-off win of the season in their first extra-inning game. They have won three of four overall. The Royals saw their four-game winning streak end.

Lester, Heyward power Cubs past Indians

Jon Lester continued his strong start to the season with six solid innings, while Jason Heyward homered and had four RBIs as the visiting Chicago Cubs returned to action with a 7-1 win over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night. After their weekend series in St. Louis was postponed due to the Cardinals' continued COVID-19 issues, the Cubs didn't show much rust during their first game in five days. Lester (2-0, 1.06 ERA) set the tempo, allowing one run on three hits and two walks to help Chicago win for the 11th time in 14 games on this condensed season.

Hays homers in tenth to lift Orioles past Phillies

Austin Hays had an inside-the-park homer to lead off the 10th inning to lift the visiting Baltimore Orioles to a 10-9 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday. With Andrew Velazquez stationed on second base to begin the 10th, Hays' liner off Deolis Guerra (1-2) was misplayed by diving center fielder Roman Quinn. The ball found its way to the wall and Hays motored around the bases to give Baltimore a two-run lead despite only one batter coming to the plate.

Giannis ejected for head-butt as Bucks beat Wizards

Giannis Antetokounmpo was ejected in the second quarter for head-butting Moritz Wagner on Tuesday night, but the Milwaukee Bucks still posted a 126-113 victory over the Washington Wizards in the NBA bubble near Orlando. The incident occurred near the Milwaukee hoop after Antetokounmpo was whistled for a charging foul for running into the Washington center.

Portland beat Orlando in MLS is Back Tournament final

Portland Timbers beat Orlando City SC 2-1 on Tuesday in the MLS is Back Tournament final, bringing an end to a competition at Disney World in Florida that got off to a shaky start when two teams were withdrawn amid a cluster of COVID-19 tests. Defenders Larrys Mabiala and Dario Zuparic scored off set pieces for Portland, who also earned a spot in the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League for winning the month-long World Cup-style tournament that was played entirely without fans in attendance.

WTA roundup: Williams sisters set up second-round meeting

Serena Williams got off to a slow start in her first match in six months, but she prevailed Tuesday to set up a second-round showdown with her sister. Top-seeded Serena Williams rallied past fellow American Bernarda Pera 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 in the first round of the Top Seed Open in Lexington, Ky.