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HAMILTON – Seth Small came up big for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Friday night.

Small booted four field goals as Hamilton earned an important 18-14 home win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Small’s 29-yard boot at 12:43 of the fourth quarter gave the Ticats their four-point lead and capped a 71-yard, 14-play drive that ate 7:38 off the clock.

Hamilton (5-10) moved to within a win of Saskatchewan (6-10) in the battle for the third and final East Division post-season spot. If the Riders end the year with more victories than the Ticats, they’ll assume the final Eastern playoff seed but Saskatchewan has now lost five games in a row.

Had Hamilton lost, it would’ve needed to win out and have Saskatchewan lose both of its remaining games to make the playoffs. The Riders can only make the CFL post-season as a crossover team.

“We knew the situation at hand,” said Hamilton head coach Orlondo Steinauer. “The most important thing is we found a way.

“We’ve been in those situations before and found a way to squander them, probably more times than naught. Most of all, we needed to get a win.”

Saskatchewan had the ball at its 42-yard line with 2:09 remaining and drove to the Hamilton 45 before quarterback Cody Fajardo’s third-down pass was incomplete with 1:21 remaining. The Riders regained possession at their own 23-yard line with 23 seconds to play but Fajardo was intercepted at the Ticats’ 26-yard line by Ciante Evans.

Fajardo finished 24-of-31 passing for 259 yards with two TDs and two interceptions. He also ran for a team-high 22 yards on five carries as Saskatchewan rushed just 10 times for 29 yards overall.

Hamilton’s defence registered seven sacks and a forced fumble. In Saskatchewan’s season-opening 30-13 home win over the Ticats on June 11, the Riders had eight sacks.

“When they drop back that much you’re going to have more opportunities,” Steinauer said. “I think the D-line will be the first to tell you they were waiting for a game like this.

“I thought we contained Cody for the most part; he’s pretty elusive back there.”

Hamilton visits Calgary (10-5) next week before finishing with a home-and-home series against the Ottawa Redblacks (3-11). Saskatchewan, which has lost five straight, heads into a bye week before ending its regular season facing the Stampeders in a home-and-home.

Further complicating matters is both Ottawa and the Edmonton Elks (4-11) mathematically remain in playoff contention. But the Ticats are in the drivers’ seat as they can clinch third in the East by winning their three remaining games.

MLB

MARINERS 4, BLUE JAYS 0

TORONTO – Luis Castillo and Andres Munoz combined on a seven-hitter, and the Mariners won their first postseason game since 2001, 4-0 over Toronto in Game 1 of a Best-of-3 American League Wild Card Series.

Cal Raleigh hit a two-run homer in the series opener, and Eugenio Suarez had two hits and two RBIs. Rookie Julio Rodriguez reached base three times and scored twice.

The Mariners can wrap up the series with a win in Game 2 Saturday. The series winner plays AL West champion Houston in the Division Series starting Tuesday in Texas.

Castillo scattered six singles in 7 1/3 innings. He became the first pitcher in Mariners history to throw more than seven scoreless innings in a postseason start.

Making his first career postseason start, Toronto’s Alek Manoah gave up four runs in 5 2/3 innings, matching the total he allowed in six September starts.

WHL

ICE 5 PATS 2

Regina, Sask. — The Winnipeg ICE stormed out to a 4-0 lead and held on to beat the hometown Regina Pats 5-2 on Friday night at the Brandt Centre.

Five separate players scored for the ICE in the win as Aidan Oiring, Owen Pederson, Ben Zloty, Connor McClennon, and Ty Nash (empty net) found the back of the net for Winnipeg. Daniel Hauser made 21 saves, with 9 of them against Connor Bedard, including a penalty shot in the second. McClennon’s fourth of the season marked his 200th career point.

Jaxsin Vaughan and Connor Bedard replied for the Pats, as he snapped his three game goalless-streak. Goaltender Matthew Kieper took the loss, making 30 saves on 34 shots.

NHL

Pierre-Luc Dubois scored twice for the Winnipeg Jets in a 5-3 pre-season win over the host Calgary Flames on Friday. Kyle Conner had a goal and two assists, Mark Scheifele scored short-handed and Nikolaj Ehlers also scored for the Jets in the final tune-up for both teams ahead of their 2022-23 NHL regular seasons. Tyler Toffoli had a goal and an assist with Blake Coleman and Nazem Kadri also scoring for the Flames.

Leon Draisaitl had a goal and three assists as the Edmonton Oilers closed out NHL pre-season play on Friday with a 5-3 victory over the visiting Seattle Kraken. Jesse Puljujarvi, Tyson Barrie, Evander Kane and Connor McDavid also scored for the Oilers, who ended up with a 5-3 record in exhibition action. Daniel Sprong, Matty Beniers and Jared McCann responded for the Kraken, who dropped to 4-2.

The Vancouver Canucks wrapped up their N-H-L pre-season Friday night by beating the visiting Arizona Coyotes 4-0. The Coyotes only managed seven shots on net in the entire game. The Canucks also acquired defenceman Riley Stillman in a deal with the Chicago Blackhawks. The Canucks sent centre Jason Dickson and a second-round draft pick to Chicago.

(With files from CP, ReginaPats.com/Photo: Hamilton Tiger-Cats)