For better or worse, the Casper Ghosts are setting a team mark for games played in two days.

The Ghosts and Billings Mustangs will play doubleheaders today and Sunday after Thursday's game was suspended because of rain and Friday's game was postponed because of field conditions. Thursday's game will be completed today at noon, and Friday's game will be made up at 3 p.m. on Sunday.

Casper General Manager Matt Warneke made the decision along with Ghosts manager Tony Diaz and Mustangs manager Julio Garcia to postpone Friday's game and create the back-to-back doubleheaders.

"Usually (managers) don't like it, but that tells you how bad the field is if they would rather play (consecutive doubleheaders)," Warneke said. "It shows the field is in pretty bad shape. We just need to hope the weather is nice enough to give us a jump to get ready for (today)."

The weather wasn't nice to the Ghosts or Mike Lansing Field on Thursday night and Friday morning. Thursday's game was suspended after just one inning.

"Usually after a rainout we have sun the next day," Warneke said. "The sun never came out (Friday), so it never had a chance to dry out.

"Mother Nature just has its ways and it's an unpredictable thing you have to go with."

According to Warneke, Mike Lansing Field was "thrashed." The infield was mud, the basepaths and warning track were under water, and the dugouts were flooded.

The Ghosts don't have a tarp that covers the whole field, instead they have one tarp that covers the pitching mound and another that covers the area around home plate. Casper has thought about purchasing a full-field tarp that costs about $10,000, but Warneke said it's a tough decision to make because a team might only use it once or twice a year.

The Orem Owlz are one of only two Pioneer League teams, Warneke said, that have a full-field tarp. Orem Assistant General Manager Blake Buswell said the team has had its tarp since 2005.

"During our season, we typically use it three to four times a year is all," Buswell said. "It doesn't get much use during our season."

The Owlz mostly use the tarp to protect the field during the winter. Buswell didn't say whether having a tarp saved any games from rainouts, but he did credit the field's drainage system for saving time after rain delays.

Drainage is where having a tarp wouldn't help the Ghosts, according to Warneke. He said even if the Ghosts had one, the water on top of it would have to go somewhere - most likely the outfield. And without a good drainage system in the outfield, water from the tarp would flood it, making the field unplayable.

"It's just the way the field was designed," Warneke said. "No one to blame there, it's just the way it is."

And no one is to blame for the four games between the Ghosts and Mustangs the next two days. The teams don't play again after this weekend, so there was no other option to make up the games at a later point.

Contact sports reporter David Buck at (307) 266-0596 or david.buck@trib.com.

Ghosts Tracker

FRIDAY: Casper vs. Billings, postponed because of field conditions.

DOUBLE DOUBLEHEADER: The Ghosts and Mustangs will play doubleheaders today and Sunday to make up for postponed games on Thursday and Friday. It is the first back-to-back doubleheader in Casper's history.

TODAY: Casper and Billings will conclude Thursday's game at noon, the Wyoming Symphony plays at 5 p.m., Game 2 is at 7:05 p.m., and there are fireworks following the night game.

SUNDAY: Casper and Billings will play two, seven-inning games starting at 3 p.m. The second game will begin 30 minutes after the first game.

HE SAID IT: "Usually (managers) don't like it, but that tells you how bad the field is if they would rather play (consecutive doubleheaders). It shows the field is in pretty bad shape. We just need to hope the weather is nice enough to give us a jump to get ready for (today)." - Matt Warneke, Ghosts General Manager.