It was an emotional courtroom in Helena Wednesday afternoon when a jury ruled in favor of a Miles City mother suing the maker of Louisville Slugger bats over the death of her son.

The jury found the maker of the Louisville Slugger bats liable for failing to warn about the dangers of its product. Patch’s teenage son, Brandon, was pitching for the Miles City Mavericks back in 2003 when a ball hit by a Helena Senators batter struck him in the temple, resulting in fatal injury.

Patch alleged Hillerich and Bradsby, the maker of the bats, manufactured an unreasonably dangerous product capable of hitting a ball so fast you can’t see it. Attorneys for the manufacturer had argued Brandon’s death was an unfortunate accident that could have happened with many different bats.

The Patch family was awarded a total of $850,000 in monetary damages, but they say the case was really about bringing awareness to the issue.

Debbie Patch says, “We should go back to the way baseball’s played. Professionals play with wood and we need to play with wood. This is for Brandon, and for the other kids on the field. Brandon was with us, #11 showed up all the time. Brandon was with us, he knows I wouldn’t stop.”

The Patch family doesn’t know what they will do with the money, but Debbie Patch says one possibility is creating a scholarship in her son’s name.