OKLAHOMA CITY – The Arizona Ridge Riders were lights out at the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Camping World Team Series event in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, delivering a perfect 3-0 performance in game play to win PBR Freedom Fest outright.
The victory marks just the second time this season an event has not ended in Extra Outs, while the Ridge Riders are just the third team this season to win a Teams event, joining the Austin Gamblers and Kansas City Outlaws who had collectively won the five prior events.
Fans inside Paycom Center were treated to two dramatic walk-off wins during the final day of competition for Freedom Fest.
As competition got underway, the Arizona Ridge Riders stunned the league No. 1 Austin Gamblers, 174.25-84, delivering the seemingly unstoppable squad just their second loss of the season.
Arizona earned the win courtesy of early scores from opener Nick Tetz and second-frame rider Chase Dougherty, which the Gamblers, including closer Jose Vitor Leme, were not able to overcome.
Riding a wave of momentum, at that point the only team in the league to have defeated the No. 1 Gamblers, Arizona next took on the Kansas City Outlaws when PBR Freedom Fest continued Saturday, Sept. 9.
Arizona continued to ride red-hot winning their second straight game in the Sooner State by defeating Kansas City 174.75-88.25.
While Mauricio Moreira gave the Outlaws an early lead, it was not enough to hold off the Ridge Riders, who were propelled to victory by qualified rides from Eduardo Aparecido and closer Keyshawn Whitehorse.
As Championship Sunday got underway, Arizona readied to take on the host Oklahoma Freedom.
Should Arizona have won the game, they would also claim the event victory outright, but if they suffered a loss, PBR Freedom Fest would end in Extra Outs with both Arizona and Oklahoma joining the Texas Rattlers, Missouri Thunder and Nashville Stampede, all with 2-1 records.
Riding their final two bulls after being shut out, the Ridge Riders defeated the Freedom by one ride score, 171.25-87.25. While Oklahoma was the first to convert, with Casey Roberts riding Show Me for 87.25 points, it was not enough to hold off back-to-back scores for Arizona powerhouses Aparecido and Luciano de Castro who both delivered to close out the game for their team.
The three consecutive wins at PBR Freedom Fest improved Arizona to 7-9 this season. They remained No. 6 in the league and are now within six games of the No. 1 Gamblers.
PBR RidePass on Pluto TV will offer replays of all the PBR Camping World Team Series action from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Check https://pluto.tv/en/live-tv/pbr-ridepass for the latest programming schedule.
The PBR Camping World Team Series will next travel to Thunder Ridge Nature Arena in Ridgedale, Missouri, for the fifth team-hosted, and seventh overall event of the 2023 season. The event will be on Friday, September 15, at 7:45 CDT, Saturday, September 16, at 6:45 p.m. CDT and Sunday, September 17, at 1:45 p.m. CDT.
The game matchups for the opening night of competition in Ridgedale on September 15 are:
Austin Gamblers @ Arizona Ridge Riders
Oklahoma Freedom @ Carolina Cowboys
Nashville Stampede @ Texas Rattlers
Kansas City Outlaws @ Missouri Thunder
