KANSAS CITY, Mo. – At the first three-day, team-hosted homestand in PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Team Series competition, the Arizona Ridge Riders went an undefeated 3-0 to win PBR Outlaw Days in Kansas City, Missouri.
During the opening day of competition of five-on-five bull riding games Friday night inside T-Mobile Center, the Ridge Riders defeated the host Kansas City Outlaws by one ride score, 170.5-80.25, to collect their first game win in the Show Me State.
The Ridge Riders earned their second win of the event by one qualified ride Saturday evening as they bested the Oklahoma Freedom 168.25-87.25.
As Sunday’s competition got underway, the Ridge Riders had the chance to clinch the event win early when they squared off against the Nashville Stampede. Going a torrid 4-for-5 (80%), the Ridge Riders dominated the Stampede, remaining perfect with a 311-87 victory.
Despite Alisson de Souza (Taubate, Brazil) bucking off in the Bonus Round in 4.84 seconds aboard Manaba (Joe & Nina Webb/Julian/D&H Cattle Co.), earning the squad just 3 bonus points, his team’s efforts in game play clinched the victory.
The Ridge Riders (4-1) also overtook the Missouri Thunder (4-1) for the No. 1 rank in the early 2022 PBR Team Series season standings. While each team holds a 4-1 record, the Ridge Riders surpassed the Thunder via their 9 collective bonus points, while the Thunder have just 8.
The PBR Team Series will next travel to the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, for the second of two neutral-site events scheduled during the 2022 regular season. The event will be on Friday, August 12 at 7:45 p.m. PT and Saturday, August 13 at 6:45 p.m. PT.
The game matchups for the opening night of competition in California on August 12 are:
Carolina Cowboys @ Kansas City Outlaws
Ariat Texas Rattlers @ Oklahoma Freedom
Austin Gamblers @ Nashville Stampede
Missouri Thunder @ Arizona Ridge Riders
PBR RidePass on Pluto TV will offer replays of all the PBR Team Series action from Kansas City. Check https://pluto.tv/en/live-tv/pbr-ridepass for the latest programming schedule.
Carolina Cowboys: 255
Oklahoma Freedom: 171.75
After being blanked on Saturday night, the floodgates opened for the Carolina Cowboys on Sunday’s final day of PBR Team Series competition in Kansas City. The Cowboys came out flying, logging three consecutive qualified rides to start the game and outlast the Oklahoma Freedom 255-171.75 in a thrilling shootout.
While the game began with a Freedom buckoff from Casey Roberts (Munford, Alabama), the Cowboys then triggered a five-out ride streak in the very next out.
First up for the Cowboys in the bottom of the first frame was 2022 PBR World Champion Daylon Swearingen (Piffard, New York), who covered Apper’s Mind Freak (Jo-Z Bucking Bulls/K-C Bucking Bulls/Spark-Lin Acres) to give his team an early 85.75-point lead.
The Freedom responded compliments of a gritty 87.75-point effort by second-round draft pick Derek Kolbaba (Walla Walla, Washington) atop American Gangster (Jane Clark/Gene Owen).
That two-point lead, however, quickly dissipated, as Mason Taylor (Maypearl, Texas) put the Cowboys back on top in the very next out inside T-Mobile Center.
Taylor dominated Surprise Package (Clay Struve/Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger) for 86 points, leading the game score to read 171.75-87.75 and giving the Richard Childress Racing-operated outfit an 84-point lead.
The back-and-forth battle on the final day of the three-day event continued in the fourth frame. After Deklan Garland (Foster, Oklahoma) tied the game with an 84-point score aboard WSM’s Scary Larry (WSM Auctioneers/Clay Struve/Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger), Ramon de Lima (Rio Branco, Brazil) delivered what would prove to be the game-winning ride when he covered Lil Hott (Stinger/Brunner/Clay Struve/Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger) for 83.25 points.
Both teams were blanked in the fourth frame, and for the third consecutive event, the fate of the Freedom rested in the hands of captain and first-round draft pick Eli Vastbinder (Statesville, North Carolina).
Matched up with Pickle Moonshine (Shuler Bucking Bulls), Vastbinder needed to convert for the Freedom to remain in contention for the game win. Vastbinder, however, was unable to deliver under pressure, slammed down onto the dirt in a heart-breaking 5.47 seconds.
Despite Leonardo Lima (Vale do Paraiso, Brazil) being bucked off in the final out of the game, the Cowboys (3-2) had already clinched their second game win of Outlaw Days, beating the Freedom (1-4) 255-171.75.
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media