Nearly two years after Brandon Patch's tragic death hours after being struck in the head by a line drive on the pitcher's mound at Kindrick Legion Field, the parents, family, friends and teammates of the Miles City Maverick asked the Legislature to outlaw the kind of baseball bat involved in the play that killed the 18-year-old.

"I lost my son on July 25 (2003)," a choked-up Duane "Spud" Patch told the House Business and Labor Committee. "And I just hope no parent has to go through what my family has had to go through."

A bill by Rep. Gary Matthews, D-Miles City, would mandate the use of wooden bats in any organized baseball games for players 15 years of age or older.

The committee tied 9-9 on the bill, on a party-line vote with Democrats in favor and Republicans opposed. A non-binding resolution urging (but not requiring) the American Legion to adopt a wood-only policy was approved.

Supporters of HB588 believe wooden bats are safer because the ball ricochetes faster off of metal or composite bats, leaving pitchers and fielders with less time to react to dangerous line drives.

The American Legion and others with organized youth baseball opposed the bill, saying wooden bats are too costly and teams from other states wouldn't want to come to Montana if they couldn't use their metal bats.

Matthews said there were more people from his district at the Capitol Thursday than he'd seen in his three previous sessions.

"Miles City baseball has never picked up a metal bat since this tragic accident," he said.

Jim Regan of the Miles City Youth Baseball Association recalled the look on his son's face as he prayed with his teammates while Patch was attended to.

"I will never, ever rest until wood bats are used, not only by American Legion baseball players, but Little League baseball players and Babe Ruth baseball players, just like they are in the major leagues." he said.

George Haegele, chairman of American Legion Baseball in the state, said the only way Legion rules can be changed is for a member to introduce a resolution to be voted on at the local, state or national level.

He said many of the state's 56 Legion programs are in tight financial position and can't afford to buy wooden bats. He also said Montana would be unable to host sanctioned interstate Legion tournaments, since nationally, Legion ball allows metal bats. Also, he said, out-of-state teams would be reluctant to travel to Montana for games or tournaments, costing not only the host teams but the local economies as well.

"If this bill passes we will see the end of American Legion baseball as we know it in the state of Montana," he claimed.

Matt Wilcox, a teammate of Patch's, joined several other Mavericks in supporting the measure.

"Brandon didn't break his arm. He didn't blow out his knee. He lost his life," Wilcox said. "Wood bats are going to make the game safer."

The Miles City team last summer played exclusively with wood bats and provided wood bats for its opponents' use as well. Tom Clement of Helena, who was umpiring the game in which Patch was killed, said that's good but not good enough.

"If we leave this as a local option, people are going to say, 'I don't want to do that, it's going to be a disadvantage for us,'" he said. "It's the kind of thing that needs to be administered across the state."

Randy Bishop, a trial lawyer who also runs the Billings Big Sky Little League, said no youth league in the state would allow metal bats if the Legislature decreed wood bats are safer. He said many kids will give up on baseball at a young age, getting frustrated with the heavier wood bats.

"There's not a single other state or association in the nation that has gone this route," he said.

John Harrington can be reached at 447-4080 or john.harrington@helenair.com.