A four-goal second half lifted Toluca FC past Los Angeles FC on Wednesday and into the CONCACAF Champions Cup final.

Toluca emerged with a 4-0 victory on Wednesday in Toluca de Lerdo, Mexico, giving the hosts a 5-2 aggregate win in the two-game, total-goal semifinal series.

The final will be an all-Mexican affair, with Toluca opposing Tigres UANL on May 30. Tigres completed a 2-0 aggregate victory over Nashville SC on Tuesday.

Mexico has both CONCACAF Champions Cup finalists for the first time since 2021, when CF Monterrey defeated Club America for the title.

For the 20th time in the past 21 years, a Mexican team will lift the trophy. The only exception in that span was the Seattle Sounders’ title run in 2022.

On Wednesday, Toluca got a chance to pull level on aggregate when LAFC’s Ryan Hollingshead was called for a foul in the 18-yard box shortly after halftime. Helinho powered in a left-footed penalty kick in the 49th minute.

Everardo Lopez gave Toluca the decisive goal on an individual effort in the 58th minute. He intercepted a pass as LAFC tried to play out of their defensive third, then took one touch and fired a 28-yard into the right side of the net. Hugo Lloris didn’t even move for the ball, as he had no chance of making the save.

LAFC finished the match with 10 players after Ryan Porteous received a red card for an 86th-minute foul that denied an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.

Toluca took advantage of playing a man up, as Paulinho scored twice in second-half stoppage time.

–Field Level Media

Paul Skenes allowed two hits over eight stellar innings and Brandon Lowe hit a towering homer to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 1-0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday night in Phoenix.

Lowe’s first-inning blast off Michael Soroka was all the offense Skenes (5-2) needed as he silenced Arizona hitters. The right-hander struck out seven and walked none while pitching at least eight innings for the fourth time in his career.

It was the longest scoreless outing ever produced by Skenes, who has yet to last nine innings in a game.

Gregory Soto worked around a one-out walk in the ninth for his second save.

Skenes retired the first 14 batters he faced before Lourdes Gurriel Jr. reached on an infield tapper in the fifth. Nolan Arenado followed with a single to left before Skenes retired Gabriel Moreno on a fly to right to start a streak of 10 consecutive retired hitters.

In the eighth, Skenes struck out the side, getting Gurriel, Arenado and Moreno to fan swinging, leaving his pitch count at 97. Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly informed Skenes his night was through when he got to the dugout.

Skenes didn’t walk a batter for his fourth consecutive start. He has issued just seven free passes in 42 innings this year.

Soto walked Geraldo Perdomo with one out in the ninth before retiring Ketel Marte on a fly to right and Corbin Carroll on a game-ending grounder to first.

Soroka (4-2) allowed one run and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out six and walked two.

Lowe and Bryan Reynolds had two hits apiece for the Pirates, who have won four of their past five contests.

Arizona had lost five of its past six games.

Lowe came up with one out in the first and jumped all over Soroka’s fourth pitch of the game, sending a changeup over the 25-foot wall in center. The blast was measured at 435 feet.

Pittsburgh had a chance to add on in the seventh as Konnor Griffin led off with a single and stole second. One out later, Kevin Ginkel replaced Soroka, and he promptly balked Griffin to third.

Oneil Cruz hit a hard grounder toward Marte, and the Arizona second baseman gunned Griffin out at the plate. Cruz stole second and was stranded when Lowe flied out to center.

–Field Level Media

Marcus Semien had four hits, including a home run, Juan Soto led off the game with a homer, and the New York Mets beat the Colorado Rockies 10-5 in Denver on Wednesday night.

MJ Melendez, Bo Bichette, Carson Benge, Brett Baty and Francisco Alvarez had two hits apiece, Freddy Peralta (2-3) scattered four hits in five innings and Devin Williams earned his fifth save for New York.

The game was originally scheduled for a 1:10 p.m. start but a snowstorm moved into Colorado on Tuesday night and didn’t end until early afternoon Wednesday.

TJ Rumfield homered among his three hits, Jake McCarthy also went deep and Tyler Freeman, Edouard Julien and Troy Johnston had two hits each for Colorado, which has lost six in a row.

Soto hit Michael Lorenzen’s third pitch into the seats in left to give the Mets the advantage, and they added to the lead in the fourth. Baty led off with a walk and went to third on Semien’s bloop double to right. Benge drove them home with a single, and he eventually scored a groundout by Luis Torrens.

New York padded the lead in the sixth. Semien led off with a single, Benge doubled and both scored on Alvarez’s single. Zach Agnos relieved Lorenzen and hit Torrens with a pitch, Alvarez scored on Bichette’s single and Torrens came home on a groundout and throwing error by second baseman Julien to make it 8-0.

Lorenzen (2-4) allowed seven runs on 11 hits in five-plus innings.

Colorado answered in the bottom of the sixth against Tobias Myers. Rumfield led off with a home run, Freeman and Tyler Johnston doubled to make it 8-2. After Myers retired the next two, McCarthy crushed his first homer to cap the four-run inning.

Semien answered with a two-run homer in the ninth, but the Rockies responded in the bottom of the inning. Mickey Moniak hit a one-out single to extend his hitting streak to 18 games, two more singles loaded the bases and a run scored when Sean Manaea hit Freeman.

Williams struck out Jordan Beck and Kyle Karros to end the game.

–Field Level Media