08.21.22 - Teams
Carolina Cowboys conclude weekend with one-ride win over Ariat Texas Rattlers
Leonardo Lima's 88.25-point ride goes the distance as Cowboys (5-5) defeat Rattlers (3-7) Sunday.
By Kacie Albert
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:
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.
Carolina Cowboys: 88.25
Ariat Texas Rattlers: 0.00
Backed by Leonardo Lima’s (Vale do Paraiso, Brazil) career-first qualified ride in PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Team Series competition, the Carolina Cowboys defeated the Ariat Texas Rattlers 88.25-0 during the final game of PBR Stampede Days.
After two scoreless frames of action, Lima, who had been 0-for-4 on the season, readied to ride for the Cowboys and Brady Oleson (Blackfoot, Idaho) for the Rattlers in the third.
Reaching the requisite 8 for the first time in the new league, Lima covered Sundance (Tex Brothers Ranch) for a critical 88.25 points to give his team an early lead.
Oleson, however, was unable to answer, tossed by Gangster Time (Classic Jack Cattle/Viducic Bucking Bulls).
The scoreboard remained unchanged in the fourth, with the game set to be decided by Daylon Swearingen (Piffard, New York) for the Cowboys and JC Mortensen (Chino Valley, Arizona) for the Rattlers.
Swearingen had the chance to clinch the win early for his team, but he was hurtled to the ground in 4.52 seconds by Homeboy (K-C Bucking Bulls/Joe & Nina Webb), opening the door for the Rattlers to win the game in walk-off fashion.
Tasked with Old Time Religion (Lucas Manning Bucking Bulls), Mortensen was unable to deliver for his team, bucked off in a quick 1.98 seconds and handing the 88.25-0 victory to the Cowboys.
Compliments of the win, the Cowboys (5-5) improved to 2-1 at PBR Stampede Days, while the Ariat Texas Rattlers (3-7) concluded the Nashville event with a losing 1-2 record.
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media