EASTON — The percentages claim that if a leadoff hitter gets a double, their team is going to score in that inning.

On Friday, Notre Dame showed that to be true in its matchup with Northern Lehigh in the quarterfinal round of the Colonial League softball playoffs.

The Crusaders had two-base hits to start the second, third and fourth innings. All three times, those runners scored in helping down the Bulldogs 4-1 and advance to Tuesday’s semifinals.

“That always helps,” said Notre Dame head coach Grant Lilly. “You don’t have to steal or try to bunt them over. They’re already in scoring position right off the bat. Anytime you get an extra-base hit to lead off an inning, you’re expecting to score.

“That’s never fun (for the opponent). It gets the coaches a little amped up. I know it gets me amped up when the other team gets a leadoff double. Then I’m like uh-oh, now we really have to play lights out (to prevent a run). Maybe it puts a little pressure on the defense and then they make the wrong play.”

The scenario explained by Lilly played out exactly for the Crusaders to plate the game’s first run.

After Rachel Fisher lined a double to right to open the bottom of the second and a bunt moved her to third, a bad throw to first on a grounder gave the home team a 1-0 lead.

An inning later, No. 9 hitter Julia Kehm delivered a two-base hit to right and advanced to third on Natalie Lilly’s single. A sacrifice fly to center off the bat of Riley Palank brought home a second run.

For a third straight inning, Notre Dame led off with a double — this time by Kelsey Bedics to deep center. Violet Dewalt singled up the middle to score Bedics. Later in the frame, Gabby Apgar came through with an RBI hit to make it 4-0.

While the Crusaders successfully got runners on to lead off with hits, Northern Lehigh didn’t have the same fortune.

“One of our things, and I’ve looked at our metrics, is we don’t get leadoff runners on,” said Bulldog mentor Dan Caruso. “That’s one of the things when I look at GameChanger, and I do the in-game analysis is we didn’t get leadoff runners on.

“We get runners on and get bases loaded with one out or two outs, and with two outs a fly ball won’t work to get a run in. We need to get that hit with runners on.”

Nolehi did manage to load the bases twice in the contest, in the second and the sixth — both times with two outs. Pop-ups induced by ND pitcher Emily Szczepanski kept the Bulldogs off the board.

“That’s the story of our close losses, not getting a hit when we need it,” said Caruso. “So many times ... we have runners on and just can’t get that key hit. Today, one or two hits at those times changes the game, and we probably win.

“We just couldn’t get that hit. We work and work and work ... but it’s a tough thing. We can train then, we can teach them. We spend so much time on hitting, and we just have to keep working at it.”

Northern Lehigh did manage a couple hits in the fifth frame to break the shutout and draw closer.

Kylee Snyder ripped a one-out double down the third-base line and moved to third on a bunt. McKenzie Chruscial followed with a single to plate Snyder.

The Bulldogs managed to load the bases in the sixth. With two outs, an error, a single by Savannah Kast and another Notre Dame miscue put the tying runs on base. But Szczepanski got out of the jam.

“She thrives in the playoffs,” said Lilly of his hurler. “Last year she shut out Southern Lehigh in the first round and held Northwestern to one run in the semifinals, and she’s back at it again (this year) allowing just one run.

“Northern Lehigh is always tough. Every time we play this team it’s usually low scoring until middle to late innings. But they always give us a hard time. They’re well-coached. There’s a bunch of tough kids on that team. This game could have easily gone the other way but we made the plays that we had to make, and I’ll take it.”

UP NEXT ... Notre Dame will face Palmerton in Tuesday’s semifinals at Pates Park, while Northern Lehigh is off until the district playoffs when it will face Salisbury.

RELIEF WORK ... The Bulldogs’ Tegan Simms pitched three scoreless innings in relief to keep her team in the game. “She came in and shut the door down, which is what you want when you bring in another pitcher,” said Caruso.

THE HITS ... Nolehi finished with six hits, two by Chruscial. Notre Dame’s seven hits came from seven different players.

No. Lehigh 000 010 0 - 1 6 2

Notre Dame 011 200 x - 4 7 3

Smith, Simms (4) and Gad; Szczepanski and Dewalt. W - Szczepanski. L - Smith.

Records: Northern Lehigh (12-9); Notre Dame (16-5).