NASHVILLE – The Austin Gamblers remained red-hot Sunday afternoon in Nashville, overtaking the No. 1 position in the early PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Team Series standings compliments of their second consecutive event win in the newly formed league. As the only team to go a perfect 3-0 in game play inside Bridgestone Arena, the Austin outfit was crowned the inaugural PBR Stampede Days event winners. The Gamblers have now won six games in a row.

Fresh off their event win last weekend in Anaheim, California, the Gamblers began the Music City event on Friday night with their fourth-consecutive game win, defeating the Arizona Ridge Riders by one ride score, 175.25-85.25.

On Saturday, the Gamblers then squared off against the Carolina Cowboys, who also entered the showdown having won on Friday night. The Gamblers again beat their opponent by one bull, winning their fifth-straight game in defeating the Cowboys 168.5-82.5.

In a Sunday afternoon showdown of titans, the then No. 2 Austin Gamblers took on the top-ranked Missouri Thunder for their final game, a matchup between the Top 2 teams in the league. With the Gamblers down a bull in the bottom of the fifth, two-time PBR World Champion Jose Vitor Leme recorded another dramatic walk off-ride, and the Gamblers defeated the Thunder by a mere 1.75 points, 173.75-172, clinching the event win.

With both the Gamblers and Thunder reaching the Bonus Round with a 7-3 season record, the eight-rider showdown round would determine which team would leave Nashville atop the PBR Team Series standings.

Leme was tasked with a familiar opponent in I’m Legit Too (Hale Cattle Co.) for Austin, while Leandro Machado was matched up with Yellowknife (Blake Sharp/Michael Floyd) for the Thunder.

As the first rider out, Leme set the tone early for the Bonus Round, reaching the requisite 8 for an explosive 88.75 points. Machado, unable to answer the score, was bucked off in a quick 3.72 seconds.

Leme’s score was never topped, and the Gamblers tied for the Bonus Round win to add 7.5 points to their season total. The 8-second effort also allowed Leme to extend his lead atop the MVP Race. He now leads No. 2 Daylon Swearingen by 269.75 points.

The Gamblers’ flawless effort in Nashville allowed them to leave Bridgestone Arena as the No. 1 team in the league, holding a 7-3 overall record and having amassed 25.5 Bonus Round points.

The host Nashville Stampede concluded their inaugural homestand seventh, going 1-2 in game play, and earning 3 bonus points.

On Saturday, the Stampede earned their first hometown victory against the Ariat Texas Rattlers following a dramatic walk-off ride score from Silvano Alves but fell to the Carolina Cowboys and Kansas City Outlaws to start and end the weekend.

The Stampede will return to road competition as the No. 6-ranked team in the league with a 3-7 overall record and 28 total bonus points.

The PBR Team Series will next travel to the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, for the third team-hosted homestand as the Austin Gamblers, riding their six-game winning stream, welcome the league for PBR Gambler Days. The event will be on Friday, August 26 at 7:45 p.m. CT, Saturday, August 27 at 6:45 p.m. CT and Sunday, August 28 at 12:15 p.m. CT.

The game matchups for the opening night of competition in Austin on August 26 are:

• Carolina Cowboys @ Kansas City Outlaws
• Oklahoma Freedom @ Ariat Texas Rattlers
• Missouri Thunder @ Arizona Ridge Riders
• Nashville Stampede @ Austin Gamblers

PBR RidePass on Pluto TV will offer replays of all the PBR Team Series action from Nashville. Check https://pluto.tv/en/live-tv/pbr-ridepass for the latest programming schedule.

Arizona Ridge Riders: 257.5

Oklahoma Freedom: 0.00

After snapping a three-game loss streak Saturday night, the Arizona Ridge Riders remained red hot on the final day of PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Stampede Days, earning their second consecutive victory when they defeated the Oklahoma Freedom 257.5-0.

After neither team struck in the first, Eduardo Aparecido (Itatiba, Brazil) was first to convert, covering Look Alive (Lucas Manning Bucking Bulls) for 85.25 points.

In the bottom of the second, despite a valiant attempt by the Freedom’s Deklan Garland (Foster, Oklahoma), he failed to reach the requisite 8 atop Bobkat (Bob Whisnant/Shaw Cattle Co./Hilton Bull Co.), brought down in 4.56 seconds.

During the third, the scoreboard remained unchanged. As the fourth round of riders got underway, Keyshawn Whitehorse (McCracken Spring, Utah) put his team two bulls ahead as he conquered Twisted Feather (Blake Sharp/Michael Floyd/Cain Robert) for 86.5 points.

With the Ridge Riders pulling ahead 171.75-0, the Oklahoma Freedom’s Dawson Branton (Jefferson, Oregon) was in a must-ride position.

Trying to prevent his team from going 0-3 in Nashville, Branton was unable to rise to the occasion, bucked off in a heart-breaking 7.05 seconds by Whiplash (Blake Sharp/Floyd Lowery/CB & Traci Lee).

With the victory clinched, first-round draft pick Luciano de Castro (Guzolandia, Brazil) added to the Ridge Riders’ lead as he was a picture of perfection aboard Marciano (Hookin’ W Ranch), marked 85.75.

In the bottom of the fifth, Briggs Madsen (Tremonton, Utah) was hopeful to prevent his team from its second consecutive scoreless defeat, matched with Savage (Blake Sharp/Michael Floyd/High Voltage Cattle).

Madsen, however, was no match for the powerful animal athlete, thrown to the dirt in 2.5 seconds.

The victory elevated the Arizona Ridge Riders (6-4) to 2-1 in game play in Nashville, while the Oklahoma Freedom (3-7) fell to 0-3.

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media