GULF SHORES, Ala. — The University of South Carolina Beaufort took down another highly-ranked opponent Saturday, beating No. 11 Belhaven 3-2 in eight innings to split a pair of games at the Gulf Coast Invitational.

The 24th-ranked Sand Sharks dropped their first game of the day, 7-3 to William Penn, but rebounded with a dramatic win over the Blazers to earn a spot in the Silver bracket. USCB will face Reinhardt at 10 a.m. ET on Sunday. 

Kristy Cook (7-0) continued her outstanding senior season by earning the win against Belhaven a day after picking up the victory against No. 1 Auburn-Montgomery. Cook went the full eight innings, allowing two runs on nine hits, and did not walk anyone.

The Sand Sharks took a 2-0 lead on Missy Hughes' two-run single in the second, and Cook and Jordan Herring were locked in a pitchers' duel until Emily Todd's two-run homer in the sixth pulled the Blazers even.

USCB pushed across a run in the eighth when Belhaven's third baseman was unable to come up with a hard grounder from Sam Boland, scoring Chelsey Blasingame with the go-ahead run. The Sand Sharks finished it off with some stellar defense, as first baseman Maddie Byrd laid out for a popped bunt for the first out of the eighth and second baseman Marissa Becker ranged into right field to make a great catch and double off a Blazer runner to end the game.

USCB (10-5) fell behind early against William Penn, as Bri Zenley delivered a two-run single in the first and a three-run homer in the third to stake the Statesmen to a 5-0 lead. 

Amanda Brown hit a two-run homer in the fifth to get the Sand Sharks on the board, but William Penn scored twice in the seventh to stop the momentum. 

If the Sand Sharks win their first game tomorrow, they will play again at 2 p.m. ET against Freed-Hardeman or St. Ambrose. The winner of that game will advance to the Silver bracket championship game at 4:30 p.m. ET.