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.
Missouri Thunder: 172
Austin Gamblers: 173.75
The league’s No. 1 draft pick, Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil), decided Sunday’s highly anticipated showdown between the Missouri Thunder and Austin Gamblers, the Top 2 teams in the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Team Series, with a dramatic walk-off ride score to give the Gamblers their sixth consecutive game win.
After trailing the entire lead-off game on the final day of the inaugural PBR Stampede Days, the Gamblers’ late game surge clinched their second-consecutive event win following last weekend’s triumph in Anaheim.
After a scoreless first frame, the Thunder jumped to an early 87-point lead when Adriano Salgado (Batatais, Brazil) covered Step That Step (Lucas Manning Bucking Bulls).
In the bottom of the second, the Gamblers were unable to respond as Ezekiel Mitchell (Rockdale, Texas) was bucked off by Sammy (Dorman/Weaver/Hilton Bull Co.) in a swift 2.41 seconds.
The Thunder’s momentum rolled in the third, when Andrew Alvidrez (Seminole, Texas) delivered the squad’s second-straight score as he rode War Daddy (TNT Bucking Bulls) for 85 points.
As the Gamblers’ third rider climbed atop the chutes, the Thunder pulled ahead to a 172-0 lead. Austin, however, was on the precipice of shifting the game’s momentum.
Tasked with Mike’s Motive (Blake Sharp/High Voltage Cattle/American Spirits/Koe Wetzel), Lucas Divino (Nova Crixas, Brazil) was the first to put points on the board for the Gamblers in reaching the requisite 8 for a critical 86.25 points.
Following a scoreless fourth round of outs, the game came down to a showdown of first-round draft picks in the closing position for both the Thunder and Gamblers.
With the chance to clinch the game win for Missouri, Colten Fritzlan (Rifle, Colorado) was brought down by Mr. Nasty (Blake Sharp/Koe Wetzel/Cody O’Neil) in 4.81 seconds.
As an athlete who thrives on must-ride, high-pressure situations, Leme remained poised as he prepared to take on ZZ Top (Lucas Manning Bucking Bulls), knowing he needed a score of 86 points or more to propel his team to victory. The two-time PBR World Champion was completely centered and in control for 8 seconds as the electric crowd erupted in cheer.
When the dust settled, he was awarded 87.5 points and the final scoreboard showed a 173.75-172 victory for the Austin Gamblers (7-3) against the Missouri Thunder (7-3).
Additionally, the game win clinched the event win for the Gamblers as the only team to go 3-0 in game play during PBR Stampede Days.
Fresh off their win at the neutral site last week in Anaheim, California, the Gamblers are now the first team in league history to win multiple Team Series event titles and are amidst a six-game win streak. Via the loss, the Thunder fell to 1-2 at PBR Stampede Days.
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media