KNOXVILLE — Join hundreds of other Tennessee fans in our game thread where you can follow along for live play-by-play updates and commentary as the top-ranked Vols go for a midweek win over Western Carolina.

First pitch: 5:30 p.m. ET

Watch: SEC Network+

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Live Stats: Click here

Here’s four quick takeaways from Tennessee’s win over Western Carolina on Wednesday night:

Rounding 1st — Blade Tidwell returns

Blade Tidwell returned on Wednesday and pitched an inning in his season debut after dealing with a shoulder injury to start the year. Tidwell struck out two after giving up a run. He was greeted with a triple and a double, but bounced back with the pair of strikeouts and a pop out to center.

Tidwell threw 20 pitches in his first appearance. 13 were strikes.

Rounding 2nd — Freshmen spark the lineup

Freshmen Christian Moore and Blake Burke sparked the lineup against Western Carolina. Moore and Burke combined to go 4-for-8 with six RBIs, a homer, a double and a run scored.

Moore and Burke led the way to Tennessee scoring 11 runs on 11 hits. Freshman lefty Wyatt Evans even got in on the action, pitching a scoreless eighth inning. Four of his seven pitches were a strike.

Rounding 3rd — Seven Vols saw action on mound

In addition to Evans, seven different Vols saw action against Western Carolina. Zander Sechrist started and didn’t give up a run over 2.2 innings and struck out three, though he did allow four hits. Sechrist threw 42 pitches.

Will Mabrey (W, 2-0), Camden Sewell, Tidwell, Ben Joyce, Evans and Mark McLaughlin then combined to pitch 6.1 innings, allow just two hits, one run, no walks and strike out 15.

Headed for Home — Record crowd

4,607 we’re in attendance for Tuesday’s game. It was the highest-ever attended midweek game in the program’s history and the fourth-highest attendance for any game ever.

It broke the previous midweek record of 4,494 which was set last Tuesday against Butler.

Key Plays

T-1st: Western Carolina 0, Tennessee 0

Despite giving up a one-out single, Zander Sechrist came back with a strikeout and a ground ball to get out of the top of the first inning.

B-1st: Western Carolina 0, Tennessee 3 (+1)

Christian Moore took the first pitch of the bottom half and sent it over the left-centerfield fence for a 443 foot solo home run.

After Seth Stephenson hit a double, Drew Gilbert hit a two-run homer to make it 3-0.

B-3rd: Western Carolina 0, Tennessee 6 (+3)

The Vols scored three runs in the third on a Cortland Lawson sac fly and a Western Carolina error that scored two with the bases loaded.

B-5th: Western Carolina 0, Tennessee 8 (+2)

Tennessee added two runs in the fifth on a two-run triple from Christian Moore.

T-6th: Western Carolina 1 (+1), Tennessee 8

Blade Tidwell made his 2022 debut after dealing with a shoulder injury to begin the year. Tidwell was greeted with a triple and a double to put Western Carolina on the board, but then bounced back with a pair of strikeouts to get to two outs.

Tidwell then got a pup up to center to end the inning.

B-6th: Western Carolina 1, Tennessee 11 (+3)

With the bases-loaded, Blake Burke hit a double to clear the bases and extend Tennessee's lead to 11-1.

Final Box Score

Postgame Media

Where Tennessee is ranked this week:

Perfect Game: No. 1 (+4)

Collegiate Baseball: No. 1 (+1)

NCBWA: No. 1 (+3)

USA Today Coaches Poll: No. 1 (+4)

D1Baseball: No. 1 (+4)

Baseball America: No. 1 (+6)

This Week's Schedule

Wednesday, March 30

Midweek game – Western Carolina (1) vs. No. 1 Tennessee (11)

Friday, April 1

Game 1 – No. 1 Tennessee vs. No. 9 Vanderbilt -- 7 p.m. ET

Saturday, April 2

Game 2 – No. 1 Tennessee vs. No. 9 Vanderbilt -- 8 p.m. ET

Sunday, April 3

Game 3 – No. 1 Tennessee vs. No. 9 Vanderbilt -- 2:30 p.m. ET