Thirty-six career ranked tournaments of grit, near-misses, and steady mechanical improvement finally paid off in spectacular fashion on Saturday afternoon. On an overcast day in downtown Pueblo, local flipper Gabbi Hernandez captured her very first tournament victory at Pinbabes PIR- Tourney #2. Competing on her home turf under the bakery lights, the IFPA #16,828 competitor swept through a dangerous ten-player field with the undeniable poise of a seasoned veteran.
Hernandez has been grinding the competitive circuit hard over the past year, logging three grueling events in just the last six months alone. When the silver ball finally came to rest after two and a half hours of relentless group match play, she stood completely alone at the top of the mountain. It was a career milestone carved out shot by shot, proving to local fans that fierce dedication to the mechanical craft eventually yields championship gold.
Ten Contenders and a Bakery Full of Silver Ball Danger
The battleground for this ten-round marathon was none other than Bite Me Cake Company, a beloved downtown Pueblo bakery that seamlessly doubles as the Flip A Coin Arcade Bar. Local patrons know the spot for its mellow, adults-only evening vibe, refreshing craft beers, and delicious sweet treats, but on Saturday, the vintage game lineup transformed into a legitimate athletic arena. With only ten competitors in the building playing ten rounds of four-player group games, there was nowhere to hide from the pressure. In a field this intimate and tightly packed, a single bad drain can torpedo an entire afternoon, while one monster game can catapult a trailer right into championship contention.
The tournament roster blended emerging hometown talent with hardened Colorado road warriors looking for North American Championship Series ranking points. The state circuit was heavily represented by nine Colorado-ranked contenders, led by Arvada’s Stephanie Koutavas sitting at an impressive #62 in the state standings. Meanwhile, visiting juggernaut Allysha Baca brought the highest national pedigree into the room as the circuit’s IFPA #12,147 ranked competitor.
From the moment the first balls launched into the outlanes, early pacesetters made their presence known across the seven-machine battery. Claire Schad immediately captured Round 1 on Williams’ legendary 1993 White Water, utilizing disciplined soft plunges to the upper flipper to bypass dangerous full-plunge feeds. Michelle Rich also came out swinging on modern hardware, capturing an early group victory on Pokémon (Pro) to put immediate scoreboard pressure on the rest of the pack.
Hernandez Rips Through Iron Man to Take Total Control
As the afternoon rounds progressed into the heat of the competition, Hernandez found an absolute mechanical groove that nobody could disrupt. She established her undeniable dominance by capturing the top score on four of the six distinct machines she touched all day. Her defining dramatic statement arrived during a brutal Round 5 clash on Stern’s fast, unforgiving 2010 release, Iron Man. Locked in a tense ten-minute, four-player war against Schad, Elyza Brillantes, and Rich, Hernandez refused to flinch under the pressure.
Iron Man is a notoriously drain-heavy arena where dodging the erratic magnetic interference of the center Iron Monger toy is vital for playfield survival. Hernandez locked into a rhythmic, sweeping groove on the ramps, reliably manufacturing massive points on the bogey features to leave her formidable rivals in the dust. She captured the full four group points, relegating Schad to second place and Brillantes to third. That pivotal victory sparked a furious mid-tournament run, as Hernandez proceeded to sweep first place in Rounds 6 and 7 on Cheetah and Pokémon (Pro) to take total command of the leaderboard.
A Final Round Face-Off on Pokémon Pro
Heading into the tenth and final round, the competitive tension inside the Pueblo arcade bar was thick enough to cut with a flipper. Hernandez had maintained a fierce stranglehold on the upper echelon of the standings, but Colorado veteran Karen Mooney was breathing right down her neck. Mooney had quietly put together a ferocious back half of the tournament, capturing Round 5 on Bally’s 1995 masterpiece Attack from Mars and sweeping Round 8 on Stars. The tournament schedule dictated that the championship would be decided in a direct, three-player face-off between Hernandez, Mooney, and Koutavas.
The chosen arena for this ultimate championship decision was Stern’s brand-new 2026 release, Pokémon (Pro). For eight nerve-wracking minutes, the three athletes traded heavy, calculated blows across the playfield. Hernandez demonstrated immaculate modern machine knowledge, smartly avoiding holding the left flipper on the plunge to bypass dangerous outlane feeds while systematically targeting the four main shots. When the final bonus tallied, Hernandez captured first place in the game, earning four decisive points to Mooney’s two-and-a-half to officially slam the door shut on any last-minute comeback.
Thirty-Six Events Later, a Maiden Champion Rises
Every competitive pinball athlete remembers the exact machine layout and the exact moment they finally hoist their maiden championship trophy. For Hernandez, that breakthrough milestone will forever be tied to the buzzing neon glow of downtown Pueblo and a gritty ten-round display of silver ball mastery. After thirty-six career ranked tournaments of climbing the competitive ladder and refining her flipper mechanics, she has officially etched her name into the IFPA winner’s circle.
Behind the hometown hero, Wendy Baca utilized a brilliant late-surge victory in Round 9 on White Water to leapfrog the pack and secure a hard-fought second place overall. Rich’s consistent early-round firepower kept her right in the hunt until the final balls drained, capturing third place to round out a spectacular afternoon of Colorado pinball drama. This tournament proved once again that whether you are a multi-year veteran or a local walk-up contender, the silver ball respects nothing but pure, unadulterated skill.
Podium Finish
- 1st Place: Gabbi Hernandez
- 2nd Place: Wendy Baca
- 3rd Place: Michelle Rich
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