Gyorko extends hit streak to 17 games

The Padres third base prospect extended his hitting streak to 17 games by going 3-for-4 with a solo homer Friday as the Lake Elsinore Storm edged Inland Empire 66ers, 4-3.

Gyorko fell a double short of the cycle as he raised his batting average to .400, a mark that is tied for the Class A Advanced California League lead. He singled in the third inning, tripled in the fifth and launched a go-ahead blast in the eighth.

The homer was his 11th of the season, one behind Lancaster's Kody Hinze for the league lead, and fifth during a six-game RBI streak. The West Virginia University product has driven in 11 runs during that streak and tops the circuit with 43 RBIs.

Selected in the second round of last year's Draft, Gyorko is batting .444 (32-for-72) with six homers, 22 RBIs and 10 multi-hit games during the streak. He hit in 10 straight games in April and has not been held hitless in back-to-back contests all year.

Edinson Rincon chipped in two hits and an RBI for the Storm, who have won five in a row. Hayden Beard (1-0) tossed 1 2/3 scoreless frames for the victory and Dustin Pierce registered his first save by getting the final two outs.