08.07.22 - Teams
Missouri Thunder narrowly defeat rival Kansas City Outlaws in Show-Me State shootout
Home team Outlaws (1-4) drop final game of the weekend by 4.25 points as Outlaw Days conclude in Kansas City, Mo.
By Kacie Albert
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:
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.
Missouri Thunder: 257.75
Kansas City Outlaws: 253.5
In the final game of the first-ever PBR Team Series homestand in Kansas City, state rivals Missouri Thunder and Kansas City Outlaws went head-to-head in a thrilling shootout that was decided on the final out.
With each team going 3-for-5, the Thunder narrowly edged the Outlaws by a mere 4.25 points to win the back-and-forth showdown.
In the opening frame, Andrew Alvidrez (Seminole, Texas) was unable to convert for the Thunder, opening the door for reigning PBR Rookie of the Year Bob Mitchell (Steelville, Missouri) to put the Outlaws out front.
Capitalizing under pressure, Mitchell stayed on the final two seconds by sheer will and rode Bottom’s Up (TCB Ranch/K-C Bucking Bulls) for 77.5 points to take the lead.
The score was the first of a four-out ride streak that would include as many lead changes. As quick as the Outlaws ascended to the top of the scoreboard, they were surpassed by the Thunder.
In the top of the second, with Co-Head Coach Ross Coleman repeatedly shouting from the chutes, “stay square,” clutch rider Adriano Salgado (Batatais, Brazil) did just that in recording the Thunder’s first score on King Brute (Crooked Crown Bucking Bulls/Braswell Bucking Bulls) for 83.75 points.
Rafael Henrique dos Santos (Sebastianopolis, Brazil), however, wouldn’t let the Outlaws trail for long. Next to leave the chutes, Santos dominated Skippy (Skippy & Linda Johnson/Jaynes Gang/Hookin' W Ranch) for a commanding 87.25 points to put the Outlaws up a bull for an 81-point lead.
The Thunder’s Cody Teel (College Station, Texas) then capped the exhilarating exchange of qualified rides with an 88.5-point ride atop Kid Knapper (Phillips/Cooper/Scruggs Bucking Bulls) to put the Thunder back ahead by 7.5 points.
The third frame then came to a close as Tate Pollmeier (Fort Scott, Kansas) was unable to convert for the Outlaws, brought down before the 8 by Off Campus (Dakota Rodeo/Brian & Ashley Pintar/Clay Struve/Chad Berger).
In the fourth round, the Thunder took the largest lead of the game, compliments of a go-ahead score by Clayton Sellars (Fruitland Park, Florida) and a buckoff from the Outlaws’ Koltin Hevalow (Smithville, Missouri).
With Sellars riding Dagger (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger) for 85.5 points, the Thunder entered the final frame with a 93-point lead.
Despite Colten Fritzlan (Rifle, Colorado) having the chance to clinch the win in the bottom of the fifth, he was bucked off by Gold Chain Cowboy (Paradigm/Parker McCollum) in 5.68 seconds.
As a result, for the second time during Outlaw Days, the fate of the home team rested in the hands of Marcus Mast (Middlebury, Indiana). Matched up with HomeBru (D&H Cattle Co./Buck Cattle Co.), Mast remained in perfect time with the powerful animal athlete, reaching the requisite 8 and leading the home crowd to erupt in raucous cheer.
However, the Outlaws’ celebration was quickly tempered, with Mast only marked 88.75 points, just short of a walk-off win. The old-fashioned barn burner ended with the Thunder (4-1) beating the Outlaws (1-4) 257.75-253.5.
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media