SAN MARCOS, Texas – Grant Schulz wasn't in the lineup Friday night at Bobcat Ballpark. But the junior was ready for his opportunity.
 
Following an injury to Danny DeSimone in the third inning, Schulz entered the game at third base and made a pair of key defensive plays while adding a two-out RBI double as ULM held off a rally by Texas State for a 6-5 win Friday night.
 
"You've just got to be ready at any moment," Schulz said. "I know if I would have went to the bench, they would've had my back. When I got the call to go in there, I was ready."
 
Schulz cleanly played a pair of ground balls in the fourth and fifth innings, but his biggest play came in the ninth inning. With the ULM (10-8 overall, 3-1 Sun Belt Conference) lead down to a run, Texas State's Jose Gonzales hit a soft liner with plenty of spin to the left side of the infield. Schulz made the stop on the run, spun and threw a strike to Wiley Cleland at first base for the second out of the inning, leading into the 6-5 win over the Bobcats (9-14, 0-4).
 
"I thought he hit it a lot harder," Schulz said of the play. "When it came off the bat, it really didn't seem like that. I just had to react and make a play."
 
"I expect every one of our guys to be ready when they get their name called in any opportunity," ULM head coach Michael Federico said. "We had a really good practice last night. Grant had a good night of practice. It's nice to have some versatility and be able to move some guys around. He needed that and we also needed that from him. I know he had the big double, but those defensive plays he made were spectacular. That ball was spinning so crazy. I don't know how he fielded it and still got his hands on it."
 
Schulz's play helped seal ULM's first series-opening win of the season. ULM had dropped the game of each of its first four weekend series.
 
"It means everything," Schulz said. "We can finally feel like we start on top and just keep this momentum going and put the foot on the gas pedal and don't let up."
 
ULM took advantage of some early Texas State mistakes to take the lead for good. Trace Henry was hit by a pitch to lead off the game and eventually scored on Ryan Humeniuk's sacrifice fly. DeSimone's RBI single to left scored Holt for the 2-0 advantage. With two runners on base and two outs, Michael Cervantes hit a fly ball to the left centerfield gap, but Texas State centerfielder Isaiah Ortega-Jones dropped the ball, allowing both DeSimone and Travis Washburn to score for the 4-0 lead.
 
"(Texas State starting pitcher Zachary) Leigh is a dominating Friday night guy," Federico said. "To be able to put those runs on there put a little wind in our sail. We were able to capitalize and put the big inning together. We got some big two-out hits."
 
It gave Warhawk starting pitcher Cam Barlow a lot of confidence.
 
"What helped me at the beginning was going out there with a four-run lead," Barlow said. "It makes everything more comfortable. My defense helped me out a lot as well."
 
Barlow (3-2) earned his third win of the season by throwing five innings, giving up two runs on four hits with three walks and six strikeouts.
 
"Cam settled in and hung some zeroes in there and didn't give up the big inning," Federico said.
 
Texas State got on the board with a two-out RBI single by Justin Thompson in the third inning. The two sides traded runs in the fifth and sixth innings with Schulz's RBI double in the fifth and Henry's RBI single in the sixth for ULM. The Bobcats added two runs in the eighth inning off of Bryce Bonner's home run and Cole Coffey's sacrifice fly. Carson Orton came in to retire the final six hitters of the game to earn his second save of the season.
 
"That's what Friday night baseball is like," Federico said. "To be able to win feels good, but we still have to stay focused. We've got to find a way to win the series now."
 
Holt had two hits to lead ULM, while Bonner had two hits for Texas State.
 
The series continues at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Links to live video, audio and stats are available at ULMWarhawks.com.