Belmont, n.h. — It was a day of upsets in the NHIAA Division III baseball tournament, and 14th-seeded Stevens High was poised to join the party. But third-ranked Belmont, after trailing twice, recovered with a big sixth inning to Stevens home on the short end of an 11-7 score in a second-round game Thursday.

On an afternoon when No. 1 Campbell fell to No. 16 Raymond and No. 1 Conant was stunned by No. 18 Hopkinton, Stevens took a 7-5 lead over the Red Raiders, but couldn’t close the deal as Belmont scored six times in the sixth to smash the Cardinals’ upset dreams.

It looked good for a long time for the Cardinals, who took a 5-2 lead into the fifth before the Red Raiders hit them with a three-spot to tie the game in the bottom of the inning. Stevens answered with two runs in the top of the sixth without making solid contact.

“I loved the way we manufactured those two runs,” Stevens coach Paul Silva said.

The inning started with freshman Derrick Stanhope’s walk. Noah Spaulding followed with a bunt in front of the plate that Belmont catcher Doug Price threw high and wide of first base and down the right-field line into foul territory. Stanhope scooted all the way from first to home while Spaulding scampered to third.

Drew Grenier followed with a pop fly in back of first base in foul ground that was fielded by the Red Raiders’ Caleb Drouin with his back to the plate and on the run. By the time he turned around, Spaulding had tagged and scored and Grenier had a sacrifice fly and an RBI.

However, the good fortune was short-lived as the Raiders got a grand slam from Drouin to close out a six-run inning.

“I know we’re a good-hitting team, but you just don’t know in the game of baseball,” Belmont coach Matt LeBlanc said. “That’s why we competed for all seven innings.”

Grenier was on the hill in relief of starter Spaulding when the Belmont sixth inning began. A walk and four straight singles produced two runs to tie the game. With the bases loaded with no outs, Grenier was replaced on the hill by Ryan Napsey.

With the infield in, Stevens got an out on a force at home, but Drouin got a Napsey pitch up in the zone and smashed down the line in left and over the fence to pretty much end the game.

“I knew we were capable,” LeBlanc said. “We hit all year. I was glad it was Drouin who had the big blow. He’s been one of our hardest workers all year. ”

Stevens had five hits in a five-run third inning as Coby Hussey and Login Barry had two-run singles, and Brendan Bean’s base knock provided the fifth run. That put Stevens up 5-2 after the Red Raiders scored twice in the bottom of the second off Spaulding on a two-run single by designated hitter Cam Maeger.

Stevens finished the season at 9-8 after starting out with seven players who had never played a varsity game.

“I never like to lose,” Silva said, “but this was a gritty bunch which left it all on the field.”

Belmont (14-3) will take on Winnisquam on Saturday in the quarterfinals.

“We stepped up to quite a challenge today,” LeBlanc said. “We spend an awful lot of time taking hitting practice, and I guess it paid off today.”