• Samantha Sais

The Tucson Padres made a 10th inning comeback last night, scoring four runs to defeat the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. Tim Hagerty, the voice of the Padres, brings us details:

When Aaron Cunningham’s chopper rolled into left field in the bottom of the tenth inning Thursday, the Tucson Padres sealed their first extra inning win, one-run win, and walk-off win, beating Colorado Springs 8-7. Colorado Springs scored three times off Scott Munter in the top of the tenth inning, who then became the winning pitcher when the Padres scored four times in the bottom of the tenth. The stunning comeback came after an RBI single by Anthony Rizzo, a double off the top of the left field fence by Jesus Guzman, and the two-run single over the drawn-in infield by Cunningham.

The Padres had a 4-2 lead entering the ninth inning, but Colorado Springs scored twice to force extra innings and give Luis Perdomo his second blown save of the season. The Padres had two runners on base in the bottom of the ninth inning, but were unable to score off Rockies’ prospect Rex Brothers, who hasn’t allowed a run yet this season.

Cunningham had three hits in the game, raising his batting average from .237 to .259. After a 2-for-17 road trip in Sacramento, Cedric Hunter went 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI. Will Inman had one of his best Triple-A starts, pitching six innings, allowing only two runs to the team with the highest batting average in the PCL. The Padres are now 9-12, tied with Las Vegas for third place, three games behind first place Sacramento.

Next Game: Friday, 7:00 pm — Tucson LHP Wade LeBlanc (0-0) vs. Colorado Springs RHP Alan Johnson (1-0)

Tonight, the team will be giving away 3,000 posters featuring first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who was hitting .420 with seven homes as of last night. And don't forget, baseball fans: On Saturday night, the Padres play at Hi Corbett Field for Turn Back the Clock Night. We'll be there. How about you? Details here.

• Samantha Sais

As we note in this week's feature story, the T-Pads start a four-game homestand today at Kino Stadium. Tonight is Thirsty Thursday, co-sponsored by your friends at the Tucson Weekly, and we're real excited about Saturday's Turn Back The Clock Night, which will take the Padres over to Hi Corbett Field. If you have fond memories of the Tucson Toros, you'll want to be there. Details on the homestand here.

Another Padres tidbit: San Diego Padres GM Jed Hoyer talks about Tucson Padres slugger Anthony Rizzo:

Hoyer and his team have talked about all their options in the minor leagues. With Anthony Rizzo, "there is development left." Rizzo is "undercooked", they want him to be ready. "I think he's going to be a very good Padre, but that time isn't today." Money isn't an issue, the focus is on development. "Big Leagues can humble you in a hurry." The goal is to bring him up for good, not bring him up and have to send him back to the minors. Freddie Freeman is a very comparable to Anthony Rizzo, but he had 500 plate appearances int he minor leagues before being brought up the Braves.

From the University of Arizona:

Collegiate ice hockey, a fixture at the University of Arizona for more than three decades, is getting a new look and new name. The students of the UA's club ice hockey team are partnering with UA Campus Recreation to expand their program and align with other University club sports.

Starting this fall, Arizona Wildcat Ice Hockey will have an aggressive schedule, a new name, a new brand identity, new uniforms, a new website (hockey.arizona.edu) and the full support of the UA as a club sport.

Frank Farias, UA associate vice president for Student Affairs, has been working on reorganizing the UA's Campus Recreation program and facilities, including how all club sports are managed. The ice hockey program operated differently than other UA club sports. UA students actually were playing for a privately incorporated entity.

Farias added that "the transition will ensure our ice hockey program is managed by students and is consistent with and functions like all other UA club sports."

As a UA student-run club, members choose and manage their own organizational structure, administer their own budget, assist in fundraising, elect their own club officers and select coaches and support staff.

Brian Slugocki, captain of the Arizona hockey team, said "With the University's involvement, there are many new and exciting opportunities now available to the team such as developing our webpage, promoting the sport on campus and throughout the community and also using the Arizona ‘A.'"

The Tucson Padres break a three-game losing streak on Sunday with a win in Sacramento. Tim Hagerty of the Padres fills us in:

One day after falling behind in the first inning, it was the Tucson Padres who struck first, scoring three times in the first inning Sunday. The Padres beat Sacramento 7-5, ending a three game losing streak. Jesus Guzman hit a three-run double in the first, after the Padres had two walks and a single ahead of him to load the bases. Jon Leicester excelled as a starter for the second time since joining the rotation from the bullpen, pitching five shutout innings. In Leicester’s previous start, he pitched four shutout innings against Fresno.

The Padres built a 6-0 lead by the fourth inning before Sacramento scored twice each in the sixth and seventh. Luis Perdomo relieved Scott Munter in the eighth, left two River Cats on base, and then went on to pitch a scoreless ninth for his first save. Eddy Rodriguez was 2-for-4 with his first Triple-A home run, and Guzman went 2-for-5 with three RBIs. Greg Burke was ejected by home plate umpire Dixon Stureman in the seventh inning for arguing a pitch Burke believed should have been strike three to Adrian Cardenas during Sacramento’s rally.

The Padres are now 7-11, three games behind first place Sacramento in the South Division. Wade LeBlanc, recalled by the San Diego Padres earlier in the day, pitched a career high eight innings against the Phillies, allowing three runs in the loss.

The Padres start a four-game homestand at Kino Stadium this Thursday, April 28, which happens to be a Thirsty Thursday, sponsored by your friends at the Tucson Weekly, KMSB Fox 11 and KHIT. Beer and soft drinks are just one buck! And on Saturday, the club heads over to Hi Corbett Field for Turn Back the Clock Night. Be there!

ESPN's E:60 looks at the life of Christina-Taylor Green:

The scrappy Tucson Padres' valiant attempt at a comeback last night fell short, but Anthony Rizzo knocked another ball out of the park. Rizzo is batting an astonishing .452 as of last night.

Details from the Padres' Tim Hagerty:

The Tucson Padres scored three times with two outs in the ninth inning Friday, but fell to the Fresno Grizzlies 9-8. All three runs came with two outs, and gave the Padres hope after falling behind 9-5 earlier in the game. The Padres split the four game series with Fresno and ended up 3-5 in their inaugural homestand.

Fresno scored twice in the second inning off Rob Musgrave, who was transferred from Double-A San Antonio earlier in the day. Anthony Rizzo hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the third to tie the game, his sixth home run of the season. Rizzo is now leading the PCL in batting average (.452) and RBIs (24), and is tied for the league lead in home runs.

Down 5-2, the Padres scored once in the bottom of the fifth on a Logan Forsythe sacrifice fly and then twice more in the sixth inning to tie the game when Cedric Hunter walked with the bases loaded and Everth Cabrera reached on an error by pitcher Wilmin Rodriguez. Two innings later, the Grizzlies scored four times against Tucson reliever Scott Munter for their final lead.

The T-Pads are going on the road, but will be back next Thursday, April 28, for the second buck-beer night and the start of a four-game homestand.

[Note from Dan Gibson: Alex Budish is a senior at the University of Arizona. Who better to check out the first Thirsty Thursday and review it from a drinking perspective, right?]

What an awesome city we live in. There’s great people, amazing weather, the Tucson Padres, and, oh yeah, their $1 beers. On Thursday, the Padres had the first of their nine “Thirsty Thursday” nights at Tucson Electric Park, and it was definitely worth checking out.

That’s right folks, just $1 got you a smooth 12-ounce plastic cup of that sweet, sweet nectar you all love, Budweiser or Bud Light. A difficult decision for sure, but most were going for the Bud Light (it is beach season, after all).

Not your taste? No problem. For just $1 more you can get yourself 12 ounces of “premium beers.” Those include: 90 Shilling Ale, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale or Hefeweizen, or Tucson Blonde.

With all these amazing prices on so many good beers, what more could be better? Getting to watch some great Triple-A baseball with your friends. The most expensive ticket is $10.50, and being the baller-on-a-budget I am, I began thinking, is it all about the beer? Let’s take a look at some of the other items for sale at the Padres game.

For $33, a young man or woman can purchase a fitted cap ... but wait, that’s 33 beers. You can get a T-shirt for $17, but that’s eight premium beers, and a Bud Light. If you like pompoms, those can be yours for just $5 ... or you can get five more beers.

All right, that’s a little bit extreme. The pompoms are actually really cool, as are the hats and shirts. I must say the overall experience was truly special. It’s a great feeling to be able to enjoy a ball game with your friends. Perhaps the best quote I heard all night was, “Baseball and alcohol, the two go hand in hand,” said David Blattman, a senior at the University of Arizona. Maybe he was right, for the youthful spirit that drives Tucson.

Can $1 beers revitalize the game of baseball this city has loved in the past?

So that brings us to perhaps the last question of the article. (I’ve asked so many after all). Why should the citizens of Tucson, and maybe more importantly, the students at the UA, care about going to a Thirsty Thursday event at a minor-league baseball game?

It’s a question that can really only be answered by going to the game and seeing it for yourself, but let me try and paint the best picture I can for you. Regardless of the crowd, the air is always filled with excitement and fun, that, and the booming voice of Homer Simpson echoing, “Mmmm, beer.” Maybe it’s just my nostalgia kicking in, but as a graduating senior from the UA, just taking a minute and skipping the bars one day a week, and enjoying a classic American pastime with your friends is exactly the type of thing everyone needs to really get the full experience of Tucson.

A Thirsty Thursday at the Padres game isn’t just a chance to get some cheap beers with your friends, but it could be the best way to get those summer vibes rolling.

Oh, and Jack-in-the-Box gives free tacos our every time the Padres win, so you can eat for free after spending all you money on beer, and a cab home.

The Tucson Padres lost another close one tonight, although Anthony Rizzo, who is batting .436 on the season, smashed another home run in the ninth inning. Tim Hagerty of the Padres has the details:

Anthony Rizzo’s fifth home run of the season in the ninth inning wasn’t enough for the Tucson Padres Thursday, falling to Fresno 5-4. The loss ended a two-game winning streak for the Padres, and also closed a five-game losing streak for Fresno. Rizzo now has 22 RBI’s in 14 games this season, and is hitting .436.

Fresno scored three times in the first inning against starter Jeremy Hefner, and the Padres were never able to catch the Grizzlies, despite cutting the lead to one on two different occasions. Tucson scored once in the sixth, seventh and ninth innings, and squandered a chance in the eighth when Everth Cabrera was caught stealing for the first out. Fresno scored an insurance run they would later need when reliever Steve Edlefsen hit a solo home run in the top of the ninth inning, his first professional hit.

The T-Pads bullpen was again strong, with Greg Burke and Randy Flores each putting together scoreless outings. Fresno starter Michael Kown pitched six innings, allowing two runs on only three hits, while Hefner allowed four runs, three earned, on seven hits in six innings.

The Padres wrap up their first-ever homestand tonight at Kino Stadium. First pitch is 7 p.m. Details here.

The Tucson Padres lost another extra-inning heartbreaker at Kino Stadium last night, despite making comebacks in the ninth and 11th innings. The Padres' Tim Hagerty has details:

The Tucson Padres and Salt Lake Bees played their fourth extra inning game against each other this season on Monday, and Salt Lake won 7-5 in 12 innings. The Padres had impressive two—out comebacks in both the ninth and eleventh innings, but went down in order in the bottom of the twelfth after Salt Lake’s two runs in the top of the inning.

Down by one in the ninth inning with two outs and nobody on base, Jesus Guzman hit a double into the right field corner, and scored one batter later on Anthony Rizzo’s single. Salt Lake scored in the top of the eleventh on a Jeff Baisley RBI double, and again Tucson matched the run, scoring on a Guzman RBI single, his fourth hit of the night. The Bees two runs on the twelfth came as a result of RBI singles by Cole Armstrong and Alexi Amarista.

Logan Forsythe got into the game for the Padres, playing in his first game since Friday after a sore shoulder. Forsythe went 1-for-3 and has now recorded a hit in all nine games he’s played in. Rizzo was 3-for-5 with an RBI and now has a batting average of exactly .400.

The current homestand continues through Thursday, which happens to be buck-beer night. Details here.

It was another tough extra-inning loss for the Tucson Padres as they continue their first-ever homestand at Kino Stadium. From the Padres' Tim Hagerty:

The Tucson Padres and Salt Lake Bees played their third extra inning game against each other in the past week, and Salt Lake has now won all three. The Padres' late lead slipped away and Salt Lake won the game 6-5.

Jesus Guzman broke up a 3-3 tie in the seventh inning with his first home run, but Alexi Amarista’s sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth inning tied the game. Kevin Melillo hit a two-run home run in the top of the tenth, his first for the Bees, as the Padres bottom of the tenth inning run was too little, too late.

Wade LeBlanc pitched his strongest game of the season, allowing three runs in seven innings, striking out seven and not walking a batter. Luis Perdomo pitched a scoreless eighth inning before Evan Scribner blew his first save of the season.

Guzman went 4-for-5 with a double and the home run, and Everth Cabrera went 3-for-6, falling a triple shy of the first cycle in Tucson Padres history. The bottom four hitters in the Tucson Padres order (Bobby Kielty, Andy Parrino, Guillermo Quiroz and Luis Durango) all had two hits for the T-Pads, who had 17 as a team.

Next Game: Monday, 7 pm.

And don't forget that Thursday is the first buck-beer night!