JOHNSTOWN — As Cumming Motors manager Chris Sanders talked to his baseball team following Thursday’s 8-5 elimination game loss to the Brooklyn Cougars in the AAABA National Tournament, he could not emphasize enough how much he enjoyed his time with the 2022 group.

He talked about how much they grew as a team during the season, what they were a part of, and he made sure that they knew that baseball is a game, but life is — in the end — more important.

“No Altoona team has had an impact like this team … maybe years past teams made an impact, but I felt our team this year made an impact. We did that (Wednesday night),” Sanders said, referring to a win over host Johnstown Paul Carpenter’s at Sargent’s Stadium at the Point the day before.

Sanders said the team members were not only playing for themselves, but for Altoona AAABA president John Austin, who has been dealing with health issues and was unable to attend Thursday’s game.

“We have been fighting for John all year. This whole team fights for him. They fight for me. I got 20 sons over there,” he said pointing to the dugout at Roxbury Park. “They come from different areas, but they all come together in the summer.”

Cumming Motors, which finished 28-14 overall covering two leagues and the AAABA tournament, jumped out to a 1-0 lead on Brooklyn starter Thomas Rondon. In the bottom of the second, with one out, Corey Chamberlain singled and wound up scoring on a Lucas Muffie single later in the frame.

Sanders’ starter, Eli Wiles, cruised through the first three innings, facing the minimum of nine hitters, thanks in part to a sparkling 5-4-3 double play started by Chamberlain at third to Aidan Steinbugl to Erik Rhodes.

However, Brooklyn got to Wiles in the fourth. John Rivier, who finished with three hits, singled and scored on a Joane Peralta double. Myles Vazquez followed with a two-run homer for a 3-1 lead.

“I did not watch them one time. They were in pool C and we were in pool D,” replied Sanders when asked how much he knew about the Cougars. “We were just looking at one game each time. That is what we preach to the team. Don’t look ahead.”

Cumming was putting runners on base each inning against Rondon but kept coming up empty. In the first seven innings, Altoona left seven runners on base, including four in scoring position. It finished with 11 runners left on base.

“We lived and died by our hitting all summer long,” Sanders said. “There were certain situations where we didn’t put the ball in play when we needed to.”

Brooklyn chased Wiles in the seventh with three runs. Luis Reyes singled home one run, Rivier tripled home another while Julian Jaulme plated one with a sacrifice fly.

But Cumming gave its fans something to cheer about in the bottom of the eighth, trailing 6-1, when it sent 10 batters to the plate against Rondon and relief pitcher Rob Marshall.

Devon Boyles brought home a run when he was walked with the bases loaded, and Muffie, Erik Rhodes and Charlie Bakken each followed with RBI singles to cut the lead to 6-5.

“I got real nervous,” Brooklyn manager Eric Jaulme said with a smile. “They weren’t hitting the ball hard, but they were finding the holes. A little bloop here and there, but I was happy (relief pitcher Rob) Marshall was able to come through there.”

With one out, Marshall, who replaced Rondon in the inning, got Steinbugl and Kevin Lehner to stop the bleeding and end the inning.

“He kept pounding the zone and he took us into the eighth inning,” Jaulme said of Rondon, who did not strike out a batter and only walked one. “He has been our go-to guy this season. We held him for this game because we knew how good they were.”

Brooklyn got two insurance runs in the top of the ninth when Julian Jaulme, the manager’s son, doubled home two runs off Mack Meings.

“It was big for us and it was my son batting. I was watching as a dad and as a coach,” Eric said.

In the bottom of the ninth, against Marshall’s identical twin brother, Thomas Marshall, Chamberlain stroked a two-out single for Cumming before Marshall ended the game with a strikeout.

“This team had fight all year,” Sanders said. “This was the first time we played as many games as we did. We played in a college league, a local league and this tournament. Hats off to those guys. Their coach over there, he’s a good coach, a great organization. Best of luck to them, and hopefully, we get them back next year.”

Brooklyn plays tonight in the semifinals against the winner of this morning’s Cleveland-Paul Carpenter’s game, which was rained out Thursday night at the Point.

BROOKLYN COUGARS (8): Rivier 2b 523, Jaulme dh 401, Rondo p 000, R. Marshall p 000, T. Marshall p 000, Peralta c 511, Vazquez 1b 411, Pena 3b 300, Thomas ss 400, Jones cf 210, Lightburn rf 110, Reyes lf 321. Totals — 31-8–7.

CUMMING MOTORS (5): Bakken cf 403, Steinbugl ss 400, Lehner lf 400, Burd c 511, Hillard cf 512, Chamberlain 3b 522, Boyes dh 310, Wiles p 000, Allison p 000, Meings p 000, Muffie 2b 302 , Rhodes 1b 401. Totals — 37-5-11.

SCORE BY INNINGS

Cumming Motors 010 000 040 — 5 11 1

Brooklyn 000 300 302 — 8 7 2

E–Rondon, Pena, Bakken. 2B–Jaulme, Peralta. 3B–Rivier. HR–Vazques. RBI–Rivier, Jaulme 3, Peralta, Vazquez 2, Bakken, Boyles, Muffie 2, Rhodes.

PITCHING

Brooklyn Cougars: Rondon (W) 7 1/3IP, 7H, 3R, 3R, 0SO, 1BB, 2HB; B. Marshall 2/3IP 3H, 2R, 1ER, 1SO, 1BB; T. Marshall (S) 1IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 2SO, 0BB

Cumming Motors: Wiles (L) 6 1/3IP, 5H, 6R, 5ER, 6SO, 4BB; Allison 2IP, 1H, 2R, 2ER, 3SO, 3BB; Meings 2/3IP, 1H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 0SO.