Dickson County’s Payton Grove connects with a first-inning pitch Thursday against Beech.

HENDERSONVILLE – Thursday’s matchup between defending Class AAA champion Dickson County and traditional softball powerhouse Beech didn’t have a whole lot riding on it.

The regular-season, non-district contest did, however, provide both coaches with some valuable insight heading into the postseason.

“I’m pleased with tonight,” first-year Beech coach Monica Braswell said following her team’s 3-1 loss. “We make our schedule tough, and we want to play teams like Dickson County. We want to play people that will expose our weaknesses and make us better.”

Added Dickson County coach Shane Buchanan, “If you’re fortunate enough to get in the playoffs, you’re going to play these types of teams. You want to play these kind of teams (in the regular season) because it makes you better whether you win or lose. I think both teams today got better.”

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Dickson County (28-3-1), which was coming off a 3-2 win over Brentwood on Wednesday, had 10 hits. But Beech’s solid defensive play — which included a pair of exceptional stops from right fielder Ashton Hayden and third baseman Abbey Brassell — kept the Lady Buccaneers within striking distance.

The Lady Cougars plated runs in the third and fourth innings, and junior Brooklin Lee spotted her squad a 3-0 advantage with her sixth-inning solo shot to left.

“I’ve been working out a lot,” joked Lee, who notched her second homer this week. “I’ve been hitting with my dad because I haven’t really been hitting the ball well. I was hoping it would improve today, and it did.”

Lee, who finished 3-for-3 at the plate, was also exceptional on the mound for Dickson County, scattering five hits while striking out five in her complete-game effort.

“They’re tough, and that’s by far the best pitcher we’ve faced,” Braswell said. “We put the ball in play — we didn’t strike out a lot — but we had some strikeouts that came at bad times.”

The Lady Buccaneers (17-10), coming off a 5-4 loss to Riverdale, put runners at second and third with no outs, but Lee escaped the fifth-inning jam unharmed by striking out the next two batters.

“She’s a veteran now,” Buchanan said. “She’s a junior and she’s been around the block a couple of times. She’s always under control.”

Beech’s only run came on a sixth-inning solo homer from senior Jordan Spicer.

Reach Michael Murphy at 615-269-8262 and on Twitter @Murph_TNsports. ​