A food truck sat running near the softball field Thursday at unseasonably cold and damp Plum.
Jeannette didn’t need a snack for its playoff opener. It feasted on Bishop Canevin.
Senior pitcher Grace Stein piloted another victory with her arm and bat as the No. 8-seeded Jayhawks brushed aside the No. 9 Crusaders, 10-0, in a WPIAL Class A first-round game shortened to six innings by the 10-run mercy rule.
Jeannette (11-3) advances to play its postseason nemesis, No. 1 Union (16-2), in Monday’s quarterfinal at a time and site to be announced.
Union has ended Jeannette’s season twice in the last three years.
Stein was too much for Bishop Canevin (5-10), which committed eight errors and was held to one hit in its return to the postseason after a three-year absence.
Stein struck out 16 and got the offense started with a three-run home run. She had help as senior Raylyn Gallick went 3 for 4 with an RBI, and sophomore Reese Brennan had a double and three RBIs.
Senior Abby Shaw reached base four times via errors.
“If we wanted another shot at Union, it started with this game,” Jeannette coach Tubby Stein said. “We had to get this one to get to them. Now, let’s go be giant killers.”
Grace Stein, a Pitt-Greensburg commit who has more than 700 K’s, struck out the first six batters — eight of the first 11 — and allowed only an infield bunt single to junior Desiah Johnson in the third.
Stein now has 197 K’s for the season.
Her three-run blast keyed a five-run first inning aided by four errors that allowed two more runs to score. Her shot hit the padding on the top of the fence in center and caromed over.
“I thought I hit a line drive,” Stein said. “That was my first over-the-fence (homer) of the season. It got us started.”
Jeannette added two more runs in the fourth after a leadoff single by junior Gianna Casino. Gallik’s bunt single knocked in Casino before another miscue made it 7-0.
To the Crusaders’ credit, they ended the inning with a 4-2 double play. They also opted to pitch to Stein the second time through the order, and junior Macie McClain struck her out.
“Josie Shaw had a couple hits, Raylyn had a perfect bunt and Reese hit the ball well,” Tubby Stein said. “We got down some bunts and scored some runs.”
It was 9-0 in the fifth after a walk and an error set up Gallik’s two-run double that reached the fence in left.
“We’re just trying to take it slow,” Gallik said. “One game at a time. We had to be patient today.”
After a single to open the sixth, Josie Shaw drove in the 10th run to end it. She had two RBIs.
Jeannette is trying to get past the second round for the first time in program history.
“We know it will be tough, but we have to hit,” Grace Stein said. “We started really well last year (against Union). We have to keep it up.”
Bishop Canevin was seeking its first playoff win since 2021.