This one simply wasn’t pretty.

Butler was limited to two hits, had one runner reach second base and surrendered seven runs in the third inning of a 12-0 Section 1-6A baseball loss to North Allegheny Thursday at Pullman Park.

The Golden Tornado (8-4, 4-4) were shut out for the third consecutive game.

“We’re not making any adjustments at the plate ... just doing the same thing,” Butler coach Josh Forbes said. “Last week, they (NA) were striking out as much as we were. They’ve since made adjustments to put the barrel of the bat on the ball. We haven’t.

“It’s frustrating. That’s baseball.”

The Tigers forced Tornado starting pitcher Madden Clement out of the game in the third inning. The junior left-hander threw 71 pitches in 2.2 innings, including 54 in the first two frames.

“Cole Young had a nine-pitch at-bat against him to start the game,” NA coach Andrew Heck said. “Our kids bought into our game-plan at the plate today. We fouled off pitches and got the pitch count up there. That was important today.

“We didn’t score in the first inning, but we set the tone for what we wanted to do.”

North Allegheny scored three times in the second. Aaron Posey singled to start the inning and eventually scored on Ian Zahorcak’s sacrifice fly. Erik Sundgren walked and scored on a double-steal. Spencer Barnett walked, stole second and scored on David Posey’s line single to right.

The Tigers bunched together six hits and a walk in the third, with every baserunner scoring.

“They didn’t nibble, they didn’t bite at anything off the plate,” Forbes said of NA’s hitters. “They made Madden work for everything he got.”

Young wrapped up the seven-run third frame with a towering home run to right field, the ball landing just in front of a row of cars across the parking lot. Playing shortstop, Young tried robbing Conner McTighe of Butler’s first hit in the bottom of the third.

He ranged to the other side of second base to snare McTighe’s ground ball, the throw to first arriving a hair late.

“Cole is considered to be a top-15 pick in the first round (of the MLB Draft) this year,” Heck said of the senior. “He plays the game the right way and he’s a great teammate and and a great kid.”

Lance Slater had Butler’s other hit, a two-out single in the fifth.

Erik Sundgren hit a two-run inside-the-park home run to center field in the fourth. The center fielder dove for Sundgren’s sinking liner and couldn’t get it, the ball rolling all the way to the warning track as Sundgren circled the bases.

Andrew Hart threw 54 pitches in four innings for the win, striking out five. All but one player in the Tigers’ starting lineup either scored a run or drove one in.

North Allegheny pitchers threw 65 pitcher on the day. Butler’s Clement and Mac Schnur combined to throw 123.

Both teams have critical two-game section series next week. North Allegheny plays Pine-Richland, needing a split to share the section title, a sweep to win it outright.

“We need to play those two games like we played our two games this week,” Heck said.

Butler plays Seneca Valley and needs to attain at least a split to qualify for the WPIAL playoffs.

“Same situation as last year,” Forbes said. “I don’t know what the lineup’s gonna be at this point. It’s all on the line now.”

N.Allegheny03720— 12110

Butler 00000 — 022

W: Andrew Hart 4IP (5K, 3BB). L: Madden Clement 2.2IP (2K, 3BB)

North Allegheny (8-4, 6-2): Cole Young HR 1B 3-RBI, Harron Lee 1B, Andrew Hart 2-1B 2-R, Aaron Posey 2B 1B 2-RBI 2-R, Erik Sundgren HR 1B 3-RBI 3-R, Ian Zahorcak RBI, Spencer Barnett 1B 2-R, David Posey 1B RBI

Butler (8-4, 4-4): Conner McTighe 1B, Lance Slater 1B

Monday: Seneca Valley at Butler