It sounds like from your post that the batten poked though the sail right at the mast, next to the end cap. Pretty common thing in a hard pitchpole.

If the tear's not too bad, you can use a piece of sail repair tape to hold it together until you have have it professionally repaired. I've had a "temporary" repair like that on my 16 that's lasted 6 years.

The battens should always (when you're sailing) be at least snug in the pockets - all the wrinkles pulled out.

The general rule of thumb for battens tension is tighter = more draft (belly) in the sail (generally for lighter winds) and looser = less draft for heavy air.

You should always loosen your battens when you're done sailing to keep the sail from stretching out of shape.