BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN
There were three rides of 89 points or better on Night Two of Rodeo Austin’s Bulls at the Ballpark, but none were good enough to catch Fletcher Jowers’ 92-point performance on Desperate Man.
Jowers, 19, still does not even have his PRCA card.
“That ride was quite memorable. Being around all those great riders makes you want to try even harder and stay on. The place they had it (Dell Diamond) was awesome. It’s not like you get to go ride in the infield of a baseball stadium every weekend,” he told ProRodeo.com. “Winning this Xtreme Bulls event gives me a lot of confidence and makes me want to go all year and try and make the NFR.”
Levi Gray got things going Saturday night with an 89.5-point ride taking advantage of a re-ride in the night’s first section. His score coincidentally also came aboard Andrews Rodeo’s Desperate Man. That bull was ridden for two of the Top 3 scores at the event.
Gray’s ride looked for a long time like it would hold up as the top ride of the night as every rider in Sections 2 and 3 was bucked off.
However, things changed in the fourth and final section. Three of the eight cowboys rode for more than 86 points, including Shane Proctor who exploded for 90.5 points on the back of Smoke Stack.
Bulls in the Ballpark was a one-header featuring 35 bull riders against 35 of the country’s rankest bulls each night.
SHANE PROCTOR - 90.5 POINTS
JEFF ASKEY - 89 POINTS
JA CEZERE - 86 POINTS
BULLS IN THE BALLPARK RESULTS
LEADERS
1. Fletcher Jowers, 92 points on Andrews Rodeo’s Desperate Man, $10,716; 2. Shane Proctor, 90.5, $8,216; 3. Levi Gray, 89.5, $6,072; 4. (tie) Jeff Askey and Matt Palmer, 89, $3,215 each; 6. Brady Portenier, 87.5, $1,786; 7. J.A. Cezere, 86, $1,429; 8. (tie) Clayton Sellars and Gavin Michel, 85, $536 each.