Erg, as a bat "enthusiast", I was a little sorry to hear about the bat's outcome. Bats have a reputation as being rabies-ridden but they usually don't get it any more than other mammals (though bats who drink blood might be more susceptible, but we don't have those in the U.S.).

The bat that got in your house was probably more frightened than you were. There are ways to get a bat out of your house without killing it. Please see sites like batcon.org or batworld.org. There's also a lot of information on here that debunks a lot of misperceptions about bats.