Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Christian Yelich hit his fourth homer in the first inning and a two-run double in the ninth, leading the Milwaukee Brewers to a dramatic 5-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Ben Gamel led off the ninth with a pinch-hit double and advanced on Lorenzo Cain’s infield single off reliever Jordan Hicks’ glove. Yelich then hit a liner into the gap in left-center, driving in Gamel and Cain.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Lucas Giolito took a no-hit bid into the seventh inning in his first start of the season, and the Chicago White Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 6-3 to avoid a three-game sweep in the season-opening series. Giolito walked Whit Merrifield on four pitches to begin the game, but then retired 19 straight before Alex Gordon’s single with one out in the seventh. Gordon fouled off four consecutive pitches before lining a curveball into center field.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Half of the Final Four is set and the other two teams will be decided Monday night. UConn extended its record run of consecutive appearances in the Final Four to 12 while Oregon reached its first national semifinals with victories on Sunday. Notre Dame, Baylor, Stanford and Iowa will try to join them in Tampa, Florida.

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Top overall seed Baylor might actually face its first challenge of the women’s NCAA Tournament: slowing Iowa star Megan Gustafson. The nation’s leading scorer faces off against the Bears’ elite front line in an intriguing Greensboro Regional final matchup. The Bears haven’t been to the Final Four since 2012 while second-seeded Iowa hasn’t made it that far since 1993.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Auburn is going to the Final Four for the first time after knocking off Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament. Bryce Brown scored 24 points, Jared Harper and Anfernee McLemore made the plays that mattered in overtime fifth-seeded Auburn rallied from a 10-point hole to beat second-seeded Kentucky 77-71 on Sunday. Auburn beat bluebloods Kansas and North Carolina earlier in the Midwest Region before trumping the winningest program of all in the finals.

UNDATED (AP) — It’s common for baseball’s top prospects to spend a bit of time in the minors at the beginning of the season, but the Padres and White Sox put Fernando Tatis Jr. and Eloy Jimenez on the big league roster for opening day. Tatis, a shortstop, had two hits in San Diego’s win over San Francisco. Jimenez, an outfielder, had a run and an RBI in Chicago’s loss to Kansas City.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Christian Yelich led the way for the Milwaukee Brewers, from his first swing to the very last one for the game.

So it was a pretty typical day for the reigning NL MVP.

Yelich hit his fourth homer in the first inning and a two-run double in the ninth, lifting the Brewers to a dramatic 5-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.

“What we’re witnessing is greatness,” Milwaukee slugger Ryan Braun said. “It’s absolutely incredible.”

Ben Gamel led off the ninth with a pinch-hit double and advanced on Lorenzo Cain’s infield single off reliever Jordan Hicks’ glove. Yelich then hit a liner into the gap in left-center, driving in Gamel and Cain.

“We were just trying to find a way to push one across and tie the game,” Yelich said. “(Hicks) has great stuff. One snuck in the line, and Lo’s deflected off his glove and we were able to pull it off.”

Yelich tipped his cap to Gamel.

“It’s really hard to pinch-hit against a guy who throws that hard and has that good of stuff,” Yelich said. “(Gamel) was able to battle and sneak one in there. He got the whole thing started for us.”

Yelich tossed his helmet in the air in celebration as Cain slid face first across the plate, giving Milwaukee three wins its opening four-game set against rival St. Louis. Yelich’s teammates rushed the field and doused the reigning NL MVP with Gatorade in a raucous celebration at second.

The 27-year-old Yelich hit .326 with 36 homers and 110 RBIs last year, leading the Brewers to the NL Central title. He is 6 for 12 with six walks and eight RBIs so far this season.

“I’ve never seen anyone this good at baseball for this long,” Braun said. “I mean, maybe (Barry) Bonds in his prime. As great as (Mike) Trout is. I’ve seen (Albert) Pujols. I’ve never seen anyone this good for this long.”

Yelich began his day with a long drive into the second deck in right against Michael Wacha, tying the major league record for homers in consecutive games to start a season. He also became the first player to win the MVP award and then homer in his first four games of the next season.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Adam Wainwright makes his first start of the season at Pittsburgh on Monday. His 13 career wins over the Pirates trails only Johnny Cueto of the San Francisco Giants (20).

Brewers: RHP Zach Davies makes his first start in Cincinnati on Monday. He’s looking to bounce back after he was hampered by injuries last season.