Arizona Ridge Riders Defeat Austin Gamblers by One Ride to Collect Team’s First PBR Team Series Victory
By: Kacie Albert
CHEYENNE, Wyo. – As the inaugural season for the groundbreaking PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Team Series got underway Monday evening in Cheyenne, Wyoming, the world’s best bull riders made history at the iconic Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo, squaring off in the first of four games for the new sports league.
The evening was highlighted by a slugfest between the Nashville Stampede and Carolina Cowboys. In a game where 70% of the outs ended in qualified rides, veteran rider Ryan Dirteater delivered the game-winning score, emerging from retirement to give the Stampede its first regular-season victory.
The Missouri Thunder earned their position in the league’s record books, registering the first game win in the PBR Team Series, edging the Ariat Texas Rattlers by one ride score. The final game of the evening between the Arizona Ridge Riders and Austin Gamblers was also decided by one score, with the Ridge Riders collecting the victory to bring the evening to a climactic end.
Also making history, the contest between the Oklahoma Freedom and the Kansas City Outlaws ended in the league’s first tie, as neither five-rider roster was able to log a qualified ride.
The PBR Teams Series: Cheyenne event continues Tuesday, July 26 at 7:45 p.m. MDT.
CBS Sports Network will televise all the action from the second day of action for the PBR Team Series season debut in Cheyenne, Wyoming, LIVE, with coverage beginning at 10 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 26. CBS Sports will also air a one-hour highlight show from the season-launch PBR Team Series event on Sunday, July 31, at 1 p.m. ET.
PBR RidePass on Pluto TV will offer replays of all the PBR Team Series action from Cheyenne, Wyoming. Check https://pluto.tv/en/live-tv/pbr-ridepass for the latest programming schedule.
Arizona Ridge Riders: 171.50
Austin Gamblers: 89.00
The action-packed debut lineup of games for the season-launch PBR Team Series event in Cheyenne, Wyoming, came to a climactic conclusion as the Arizona Ridge Riders went to battle against the Austin Gamblers. Compliments of a crucial, late-game score by the team’s first-round draft pick, Luciano De Castro (Guzolandia, Brazil), the Ridge Riders beat the Gamblers by one ride score to earn the roster’s first game win in the PBR Team Series.
Following buckoffs by Alisson De Souza (Taubate, Brazil) for the Ridge Riders and Conner Halverson (Gordon, Nebraska) for the Gamblers, it was Marco Eguchi (Poa, Brazil) who would deliver the go-ahead score for Arizona. Matched up with Surprise Package (Clay Struve/Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger), Eguchi reached the requisite 8 for 86.5 points. The charismatic Brazilian’s score was unanswered by the Gamblers, as Lucas Divino (Nova Crixas, Brazil) proved no match for Alakazam (D&H Cattle/Buck Cattle/Tommy Julian), hitting the dirt in a swift 3.31 seconds.
The scoreboard remained unchanged as the following two riders for each team climbed aboard their draws. However, while the Gamblers suffered two buckoffs, Eduardo Aparecido (Gouvelandia, Brazil) was awarded a re-ride. As a result, with the game more than halfway complete, the Ridge Riders had two attempts left, while the Gamblers had just one. The fate of the game then rested in the hands of Ridge Riders’ first-round draft pick Castro. In perfect time with Bentley (Viducic Bucking Bulls), Castro delivered the victory-clinching ride, marked 85 points.
And while the fate of the game was already determined, the No. 1 overall draft pick and Gamblers star Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) was still awaiting his out. Preventing his team from being shut out, Leme delivered what is now the high-marked ride of the PBR Team Series regular season, scored 89 points on The Right Stuff (Diamond Willow/Clay Struve/Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger). When the dust settled, the Ridge Riders earned their first victory, 171.5-89.
On the final day of action in Cheyenne, the Arizona Ridge Riders will compete against the Carolina Cowboys, and the Gamblers will chase a win over the Oklahoma Freedom.
“It’s just amazing to win the first game in the real season,” said Arizona Ridge Riders Technical Coach Paulo Crimber. “We were waiting so long for this; it couldn’t be any better. Unfortunately, Eduardo [Aparecido] had a little incident in the chute, but thank God it’s not broken. It’s going to be sore. He should be great for Kansas City. The team worked like we planned. Teamwork is always a great feeling. I’m excited for tomorrow.”
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