Championship leaders Burnley, who were relegated from the Premier League last year, are still on course to bounce straight back into the top flight as they extended their unbeaten league record to 15 matches.
Yet after Sam Vokes had given them a 68th-minute lead with his 14th goal of the season, Batth headed home an equaliser for the visitors two minutes into stoppage time to prevent the Clarets moving six points clear at the top.
Burnley now hold a four-point advantage over Brighton & Hove Albion, whose 2-1 victory at Milton Keynes Dons, thanks to a six-minute second-half double from Israeli substitute Tomer Hemed, saw them leapfrog Middlesbrough to move back into second by one point.
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In the day's big second-tier clash, Swedish international Marcus Olsson scored his first goal for Derby County with a 79th-minute strike to seal a vital 1-0 win over East Midlands neighbours Nottingham Forest.
It marked a happy return to the game for Harry Redknapp, the much-travelled former Tottenham Hotspur manager who was brought in this week as adviser to Derby head coach Darren Wassall.
Derby are now fifth, two points behind Hull City and six adrift of Middlesbrough.
Sheffield Wednesday are also in the playoff spots in sixth place, having beaten Charlton Athletic 3-0 with goals from Tom Lees, Fernando Forestieri and an own goal from El-Hadji Ba.
(Reporting by Ian Chadband, Editing by Ed Osmond)
