Right fielder Aaron Cunningham played the role of the hero as the Tucson Padres got back to .500, winning five out of six games in week four.

Tucson started the week on the road, playing two games against the Sacramento River Cats.

Simon Castro got his second win of the season on Monday, although he was less than spectacular allowing five earned runs and three walks in five innings. Castro did strike out five in the win.

First baseman Anthony Rizzo stayed hot with three hits that included a homerun. He also scored two runs, and had two runs batted in.

Second baseman Logan Forsythe and third baseman Jesus Guzman both went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Relief pitcher Luis Perdomo earned the save in the T-Pads 7-5 victory.

Starting pitcher Jeremy Hefner had a great start in the final game of the four-game road series with Sacramento. Hefner pitched five shut-out innings with five strikeouts.

The T-Pads offense was provided by RF Cunningham who hit a two-run homerun in the fourth inning of the 2-3 loss. Tucson split the series with the River Cats winning two of four games.

Wednesday was a travel day, giving the team their first day off of the season.

Thursday was the opening game of a four-game home stand between the Tucson Padres and the Colorado Springs Sky Sox.

The Colorado Rockies triple-A affiliate has a team filled with former successful big leaguers. Thursday night’s Sky Sox line-up listed Eric Young Jr., Ian Stewart, Mike Jacobs, Willie Taveras and starting pitcher John Maine, who won 15 games in 2007 with the New York Mets.

This was the game of the year so far for the Tucson Padres as they scored four runs in the bottom of the tenth inning to get the walk-off win.

SP Will Inman threw well striking out eight in six innings while allowing two earned runs. The T-Pads took a 4-2 lead into the ninth inning when drama ensued.

RP Perdomo and RP Pat Neshak combined to give up two runs allowing the Sky Sox to push the game to extra innings. The Sky Sox scored three more runs in the top of the tenth off of RP Scott Munter leaving the dwindling crowd deflated.

The game was far from over as short-stop Everth Cabrera got things started in the bottom half of the tenth with a one-out single to left. After a 2B Forsythe walk, 1B Rizzo delivered an RBI single to right.

3B Guzman kept things rolling with an RBI double setting the table for RF Cunningham. RF Cunningham chopped a single through the drawn-in infield plating 1B Rizzo and 3B Guzman giving the Tucson Padres the well deserved 8-7 win.

RP Munter was credited with the win while RF Cunningham and left fielder Cedric Hunter both had three hits on the night.

Anyone that thought Friday night would be less exciting than Thursday was wrong as the T-Pads proved they are never out of a game with another late inning comeback win.

SP Jon Leicester allowed four runs in the first two innings including an Ian Stewart homerun. After the shaky beginning, he threw five shut-out innings, keeping T-Pads close.

Tucson was able to score five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. RF Cunningham proved he has a flair for the dramatic, lifting a three-run, go-ahead homerun over the left-center field wall.

RF Cunningham was 3-for-4 on the night, hitting his fourth homerun of the season. RP Perdomo pitched a scoreless ninth, recording his third save of the season in the 6-4 win.

Saturday night the T-Pads played a home game away from home. The third game of the series was played a few miles up the road at Hi Corbett Field in Tucson. The change of venue did not change the results as Tucson won their third in a row.

SP Castro started the game striking out three and allowing six earned runs in five innings of work. This game was a slugfest with both teams combining for 17 runs including three homeruns.

Catcher Guillermo Quiroz hit his first homerun of the season going 2-for-4 with two RBI. 1B Rizzo and 3B Guzman both had two hits and two RBI in the game. RP Munter got the win and RP Neshak got the save as the T-Pads outslugged the Sky Sox 9-8.

Sunday was the final game of the home-stand and the series with Colorado Springs. SP Wade LeBlanc got the start after being optioned back to Tucson earlier in the week. This proved beneficial for the T-Pads when LeBlanc struck out seven in seven innings allowing three earned runs.

The Sky Sox total of three runs was eclipsed by the T-Pads in the third inning alone when they pushed across five runs. Tucson’s fifth inning rally was highlighted by a bases loaded single by 1B Rizzo giving him two RBI.

RF Cunningham continued to produce going 2-for-4 with three more RBI. 3B Guzman went 2-for-3 with two RBI in the T-Pads 9-3 win and sweep over the Sky Sox.

Roster transactions: RP Evan Scribner was recalled to the San Diego Padres and SP LeBlanc is now with Tucson.

C Luis Martinez is healthy and played in his first game of the year Sunday. C Martinez was 2-for-4 with an RBI double in his season debut. C Eddy Rodriguez has been optioned to extended spring training until further notice.

Standouts of the week: RF Cunningham drove in runs in all six games this week. He raised his batting average from .236 on Monday to .293 on Sunday. He hit two homeruns and had 13 RBI in the week.

1B Rizzo is still leading two of three triple-crown categories in the Pacific Coast League. He is tied for the league lead with seven homeruns, seventh in average at .389, and the outright RBI leader with 32.

Winning five out of six has the Tucson Padres at 12-12 on the season, leaving them two games back of first place. Their next series will be on the road against the Tacoma Rainiers May 2-5.