CHEYENNE, Wyo. – At the first-ever PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Team Series event in Cheyenne, Wyoming, the Missouri Thunder were dominant, going a perfect 2-0 in gameplay to be crowned the event champions and surge to an early lead in the PBR Team Series standings.
“Amazing day,” said Missouri Thunder Co-Head Coach Ross Coleman moments after the win. “I love everything about the teams. Great cowboys.”
As action got underway at the world’s largest outdoor rodeo on Monday evening, the Thunder earned the first-ever game win in PBR Team Series history, shutting out the Ariat Texas Rattlers 89.25-0.
In another first achieved by the Thunder, the squad’s Adriano Salgado recorded the first qualified ride in the new league, earning the historic score atop American Gangster.
The Missouri Thunder then clinched the event win early in the competition on Tuesday night.
As one of three winning teams from Monday, following an Arizona Ridge Riders (1-1) loss to the Carolina Cowboys (1-1) in the first game on Tuesday evening, the title of PBR Team Series: Cheyenne event winner came down to the contest between the Thunder and Nashville Stampede.
Compliments of a crucial score from Andrew Alvidrez, the Thunder bested the Stampede by one ride score, becoming the lone team at the Daddy of ‘em All to go a perfect 2-0 in gameplay.
When the bonus round got underway, Thunder co-Head Coaches Coleman and Luke Snyder elected to give Australian sensation Callum Miller a chance to compete after not starting in either game.
Matched up with Alakazam, Miller could not reach the 8; however, the Thunder’s 2-0 record in gameplay was unmatched and clinched the victory.
In the overall PBR Team Series standings, the Thunder hold the early No. 1 rank, having amassed 263.5 aggregate points and one bonus round point. They are one game ahead of the No. 2 Carolina Cowboys.
With five teams advancing to the bonus round with 1-1 records, the final eight outs were crucial to set the remainder of the standings.
Daylon Swearingen delivered what is now the highest-marked ride of the PBR Team Series, riding I’m Legit Too (Hale Cattle Co.) for 92.5 points, cementing the Cowboys’ No. 2 rank in the standings.
Two-time PBR World Champion Jose Vitor Leme also delivered a mammoth 90-point bonus round ride for the Austin Gamblers, riding Montana Jacket (Berg/Coleman/Ogden) for 90.75 points. Earlier on Tuesday night, Leme knocked down a clutch ride in the bottom of the fifth frame of the Gamblers’ game against the Oklahoma Freedom to propel the Gamblers to a dramatic come-from-behind-win and leave Cheyenne No. 3 in the standings.
The PBR Team Series will next travel to T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, for Outlaw Days, the first of eight three-day team homestands in the 2022 season. The event will be on Friday, August 5 at 7:45 p.m. CT, Saturday, August 6 at 6:45 p.m. CT and Sunday, August 7 at 11 a.m. CT.
The game matchups for the opening night of competition for Outlaw Days on August 5 are:
Nashville Stampede vs. Ariat Texas Rattlers
Austin Gamblers vs. Carolina Cowboys
Oklahoma Freedom vs. Missouri Thunder
Kansas City Outlaws vs. Arizona Ridge Riders
CBS Sports will air a one-hour highlight show from the season-launch PBR Team Series event in Cheyenne, Wyoming, on Sunday, July 31 at 1 p.m. ET.
PBR RidePass on Pluto TV will offer replays of all the PBR Team Series action from Cheyenne. Check https://pluto.tv/en/live-tv/pbr-ridepass for the latest programming schedule.
Austin Gamblers: 257.5
Oklahoma Freedom: 176.5
An intense back-and-forth showdown between the Austin Gamblers and Oklahoma Freedom came down to the final out of the game. Two-time PBR World Champion Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) stepped up to deliver a walk-off score in the final out of the game to lead the Gamblers to their first win of the young season.
As the final game of the inaugural PBR Team Series event in Cheyenne, Wyoming, got underway, the Gamblers were the first to strike. Following an Oklahoma Freedom buckoff from Derek Kolbaba (Walla Walla, Washington), Dakota Louis (Browning, Montana) gave Austin an 85.25-point lead when he covered Light’s Out (Jane Clark/Gene Owen). The Gamblers then padded their lead in the second round. With the Freedom again failing to register a score, as Briggs Madsen (Tremonton, Utah) was upended by Dr. X (Universal Pro Rodeo/Pepper/Freeman Cattle Co.), Claudio Montanha Jr. (Pacembu, Brazil) delivered a gritty 86.25-point ride atop Homebru (D&H Cattle Co./Buck Cattle Co.) to grow the Gamblers’ lead to 171.5 points.
However, as the game approached the halfway point, the Oklahoma Freedom awakened a newfound fire. First-round draft pick Eli Vastbinder (Statesville, North Carolina) launched a wave of momentum that kept the Freedom’s hopes of victory alive. Vastbinder covered Surprise Package (Clay Struve/Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger) for 86.25 points and, coupled with a Gamblers buckoff from Austin Richardson (Dallas, Texas), the Sooner State outfit pulled within 85.25 points of their rivals. The Freedom then delivered the second 90-point ride of the PBR Team Series as Casey Roberts (Munford, Alabama) dominated Magic Bru (D&H Cattle Co./Buck Cattle Co.) for a monstrous 90.25 points. The significance of the ride was amplified when Blake Smith (Abbey, Saskatchewan, Canada) was denied a ride in the Gamblers’ fourth out, giving the Freedom a mere 5-point lead with one rider left for each team.
The Freedom’s surge, however, came to a crushing end when Trevor Kastner (Ardmore, Oklahoma) was dispatched by Born To Sin (Logan Clancey/Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger). Needing a score in the bottom of the fifth frame, the final rider to compete for the Gamblers was none other than Leme. The home-run hitter proved why he was the No. 1 overall pick in the PBR Team Series draft and signed last week by the Gamblers to a long-term deal, clinching the victory when he covered Lil Hott (Stinger/Brunner/Clay Struve/Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger) for 86 points. With a deafening roar erupting inside the iconic rodeo venue, the Austin Gamblers earned their first win, 257.5-176.5.
With the bonus round awaiting each team, the Gamblers (1-1) continued amidst a surge of success, while the Freedom (0-2), who were shut out in gameplay, regrouped to conclude the event on a successful note.
“Feels fantastic. I think we ended up with a third-place finish, and obviously the best one we’ve had since preseason,” said Austin Gamblers Head Coach Michael Gaffney. “I’m really proud of our guys. We had to make some adjustments from our roster from last night tonight, and I feel really good leaving here this weekend that it was the right adjustment. We got both bulls ridden we’ve ever seen in our team. I’m just I’m really proud of these guys.”