Photo by Kim North Shadyside’s Ali Weatherson is met at home plate by her teammates after smacking a solo home run in the sixth inning Monday against Bridgeport. The Tigers won, 8-4.

SHADYSIDE — The character of a team is defined on how it responds when challenged. Shadyside answered the bell Monday night.

The Tigers led visiting Bridgeport 2-0 after two innings but watched the Bulldogs draw even in the top of the third. However, the hosts (2-0) came right back with three runs in the bottom of the third and hung on for an 8-4 high school softball victory at the Mead Township Park District Complex.

“We’re fighters and so is Bridgeport,” Shadyside head coach Ralph Gorrell said.

I told the girls you have to play from the start to the end. We were able to finish it out one inning at a time.”

Shadyside collected eight hits, with five of them going for extra bases — four doubles and a home run.

“We were putting the bat on the ball today and it was going into the gaps,” Gorrell said. “When you put the bat on the ball, good things happen.”

Two Shadyside pitchers — Taylor Fulton and Arianna Saxton — combined for 11 strikeouts, with Fulton registering six.

“They did a great job,” Gorrell said of Fulton and Saxton. “They both mixed up their pitches and kept Bridgeport off balance.”

The Bulldogs were their worst enemy as they left at least one runner on base in all seven innings and 10 over the last four frames, including the bases loaded in the fourth and sixth frames. They stranded 13 total, with eight in scoring position.

“We just didn’t have the clutch hitting that Shadyside did, especially when we had the heart of our lineup up, plus we had a couple errors in the field that really hurt,” Bridgeport head coach Timmy Smith said. “I thought Hanna Brewer pitched an incredible game.

“I’m really proud of the girl’s effort today,” Smith added. “For us to be able to hang with Shadyside says columns for these girls. From where we were four years ago to where we are at today is like night and day.”

Deadlocked at 2, Abby Gorrell singled and raced home on a double by Saxton. Courtesy runner Kara Zeroski crossed the plate when Macy Hendershot’s fly ball to left was misplayed into a two-base error. Hendershot would come around on Josey Greenwood’s single, making it 5-2.

Bridgeport cut the margin to 5-4 in the fourth on RBI singles by Rylee McElroy and Markiee McCormick, but could get no closer.

Hendershot unloaded a run-scoring double in the fifth and scored on a double to left-center by Fulton. Ali Weatherson slugged a solo homer leading off the sixth for the final margin of victory.

Shadyside hosts Caldwell today while Bridgeport is idle and travels to River on Wednesday.