07.27.22 - Teams
Late-game surge earns Kansas City Outlaws first victory against Ariat Texas Rattlers
The Outlaws next set their sights on Outlaw Days in Kansas City on Aug. 5-7.
By Kacie Albert
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:
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.
Kansas City Outlaws: 173
Ariat Texas Rattlers: 85.75
The Kansas City Outlaws finally got hot when it counted in the second half of game three Tuesday night in Cheyenne, outlasting the Ariat Texas Rattlers to earn the team’s first victory in the PBR Team Series 173-85.75.
After each team went three up, three down, the scoreboard read 0.00-0.00 as the game eclipsed the halfway point. The momentum, however, was quick to swing. Proving to be a key member of the Kansas City Outlaws, Marcus Mast (Middlebury, Indiana) was the first to convert, covering Hundred Bad Days (TNT Bucking Bulls) for 87 points. The Rattlers answered quickly; Rafael Jose de Brito (Potirendaba, Brazil) rode Slim Shady (Hadley Cattle Co.) for 85.75 points, cutting the Outlaws’ lead to a slim 1.25 points with just one rider remaining for each team.
First-round draft pick Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe, Texas) was the final rider to compete for the Outlaws in the game’s fifth frame, punctuating his team’s effort with an 86-point score aboard WSM’s Nasty Wishes (WSM Auctioneers/Clay Struve/Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger). The game came down to Ariat Texas Rattlers free agent and young gun JC Mortensen (Chino Valley, Arizona). Initially matched with Gangster Bones (TNT Bucking Bulls), Mortensen was unable to leave the chutes, earning a re-ride and heightening the tension on both team benches. Facing Sugar Boom Boom (Cornwell Bucking Bulls/Circle G), Mortensen could not be the hero his team needed, coming down in 2.15 seconds.
The win was the first for the Kansas City Outlaws (1-1) in Cheyenne, while the Ariat Texas Rattlers (0-2) faced the bonus round winless in gameplay.
“After getting blanked on Monday night, this win feels really good,” said Kansas City Outlaws Head Coach J.W. Hart.