There has been a bunch of rain and a little bit of snow. There’s always a good amount of wind. Hail and lightning aren’t uncommon. That’s just baseball in Colorado Springs.

Overcoming the elements sometimes grows as challenging as the game itself for the Sky Sox, who split a modified doubleheader Friday against the Sacramento River Cats, with a 12-4 win coming before an 11-2 loss that lasted seven innings at Security Service Field.

Brandon Wood recorded five RBIs in the first game, following up a two-run home run in the second with a two-run double off Fabio Castro (3-6) in the fourth, and Tommy Field had a three-run triple in a seven-run seventh. Drew Pomeranz (2-3) took the defeat in the second game, doomed by a four-run sixth in which Sacramento (39-23) got three runs on an error by Tim Wheeler, and A.J. Griffin (1-2) limited the Sky Sox (29-32) to three hits.

The Sky Sox entered Friday with the third-worst attendance in the 16-team Pacific Coast League, attracting an average of 4,436 fans, likely because they had played a league-low 21 home games, with three rainouts and a game postponed due to snow. They’ve played three doubleheaders, and they have another slated for next month. And with the tendency for afternoon thunderstorms in the Springs in the summer, more twinbills are on the way.

A modified doubleheader Friday was unavoidable after a fast-developing combination of rain, hail and lightning halted action Thursday with the Sky Sox leading 2-1 in the fourth. As expected, Tyler Chatwood couldn’t resume his start, and three pitchers held the River Cats scoreless over the final five innings of the first game in relief of Tyler Johnson, with Stephen Dodson (2-3) earning the win. The Sky Sox used three pitchers in the nightcap.

Between games, players received only 30 minutes of rest – standard for the PCL. It gave Sky Sox players enough time to change jerseys and grab “something quick” to eat inside the clubhouse, Wood said. “Not something where you’re going to eat too much and come out here and run around and lose your lunch. Something light – a protein bar and shake.”

Playing a pair afforded Matt McBride a chance to return from an injured left wrist. The right fielder had missed seven straight games before the second game. It also enabled the Sky Sox to activate reliever Edgmer Escalona (illness) from the disabled list in place of reliever Royce Ring, who went on the DL with a sprained elbow. Plus, Sky Sox fans got a look at Sacramento designated hitter Manny Ramirez, who was booed in going 2-for-4 with an RBI double and an RBI single in the second game – he hit into two double plays.

Doubleheaders are “part of the game,” said Wood, who is back in the minors after he split his first full major-league season between the Angels and Pirates last year. “The weather is crazy here. I haven’t washed my car in two months. It’s pretty much pointless. You just get ready. It’s a doubleheader. You’ve got to get your mind right and make sure that you don’t get lazy. … You’ve just got to treat it like it’s another game, like it’s a new game.”

The Sky Sox don’t have an off day until June 18, and they’ll play 20 days in a row going into the Triple-A All-Star break in July. “It’s a luxury when you get up to the big leagues and you can have a few days off and you can be rested,” Wood said. “That’s why we’re down here – to get better and get back up there. Then we can enjoy those days off.”

Contact Brian Gomez: 719-636-0256 or brian.gomez@gazettedev.gazette.com. Facebook: Brian Gomez. Twitter: @gazetteskysox. Google+: Brian Gomez. For the Sky Sox homepage, visit http://www.gazettedev.gazette.com/sections/roxsox. For the Sky Sox blog, visit http://skysox.freedomblogging.com.