Decatur pitching and defense dazzle in season opening win over Kentlake
Published 9:36 am Wednesday, March 18, 2026
Two playoff hopeful teams took the field on March 16 in Decatur and Kentlake. The atmosphere and level of play mirrored a late season game with a postseason berth on the line, but Decatur scratched across two runs in the top of the seventh to down the Falcons 3-1 on the road in each team’s 2026 season opener.
Decatur knew the task at hand: take on one of the best pitchers in the state and the best arm in the NPSL in Christopher Moore. The Gators only managed one run off the right-hander, but it came in the first and set the tone for what was a tense game.
“We knew going against Moore that he was a top 5-10 guy in the state and I think there is no doubt that he is. I thought we hit him pretty good. I thought our at-bats were really good,” manager Chris Fox said. “If we can split with these guys and their pitching that would be great. If we could sweep, that would be even better.”
CJ Gatterson smacked the first pitch of the game up the middle for a single, and advanced to second on an error by Moore on a pickoff move. Gatterson was moved to third on a ground out from Tyler Buol and scored on a sac fly from Ethan Flavel.
Gatterson plays with fire, and when it goes well, Decatur will roll. Fox is certain that if the junior centerfielder can be a stalwart at the top of the order, Decatur’s offense will flourish.
“CJ is the key to our success this year. As CJ goes, that is how we are going to go. He sets the tone up there with his aggressive righteous swagger that he puts into this game. People are scared of CJ when they see him. He’s an absolute stud,” Fox said. “That first pitch of the game, single up the middle set the tone right away.”
In terms of runs, the Gator bats went cold. But traffic on the bases was persistent in every inning, and Decatur managed to get a runner in scoring position in every inning except the fifth inning.
“We were up the whole time. The hits helped bring our energy up. We got in his head and succeeded,” Nate Gilmore said.
Gilmore smacked two doubles in his three at-bats, one to right-center and the other to left. A small adjustment with his hands pregame helped Gilmore get his bat through the strike zone faster.
”We were taking batting practice in the cage and brought his hands down a little bit. … That little adjustment I think is why he went two doubles,” Fox said. “He did a great job.”
Not to be remiss was the Decatur pitching in their first game of the season. Tyler Buol went 5.1 innings, struck out seven and allowed just one run and one walk. He scattered five hits across his time on the bump and had Kentlake hitters off-balance all evening.
“He is the most reliable pitcher I have ever had, in terms of strikes and knowing he is going to give you six to seven innings,” Fox said. “It is fun to watch him throw.”
Enter junior Ethan Flavel. The hard throwing right hander was effectively wild on Monday night, striking out 3 in his 1.2 innings of work while allowing just one hit. Against one of the league favorites, Decatur’s pitching nullified a lethal offense.
Heading into the seventh, Decatur had wasted a bases loaded opportunity in the sixth against Tucker Bartlett, who entered after Moore for Kentlake. Bartlett had loaded the bases once more in the seventh and had Juan Leal down 0-2 in the count. But the left-handed bat of Leal worked a walk, and on the next pitch, Landon Parker was hit, scoring the third and final run.
Decatur’s defense was also a key part in the win. Gatterson made two nice running grabs while also throwing out a Kentlake base runner at third base from center. Flavel made a nice sliding back hand in the fourth to catch the Falcon runner in the open and immediately followed that up with a double play up the middle.
“A good defense wins games,” Gilmore said.
