TICATS GET PAST ARGONAUTS 34-27

HAMILTON – Shawn Thomas Erlington’s 23-yard touchdown run at 11:50 of the fourth quarter rallied the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to a wild 34-27 win over the Toronto Argonauts on Friday night.

Erlington capped a 77-yard, five-play drive with his TD. Seth Small made it a 10-point game with a 46-yard field goal at 13:20.

Toronto rounded out the scoring with Boris Bede’s 18-yard field goal on the game’s final play in case points scored figure in the season tiebreaker between the two teams.

Hamilton (3-6) captured the victory after dropping a 34-20 decision to Toronto at BMO Field last weekend. The Ticats moved into a tie for second in the East Division with the Montreal Alouettes (3-6), with both teams two points behind the front-running Argos (4-4).

The Ticats got an inspirational performance from starter Matt Shiltz. Rookie Jamie Newman opened the second half at quarterback for Shiltz (lower-body injury) but Shiltz returned to the game in the fourth.

And Shiltz promptly hit Tim White on a 60-yard TD pass at 4:45 to make it 24-24. It came after Lawrence Woods III returned a punt 87 yards for a TD at 2:31, but it was called back for holding on the play, to the dismay of the Tim Hortons Field gathering of 23,018.

Shiltz was starting for Hamilton with incumbent Dane Evans (shoulder) on the one-game injured list. Shiltz finished 14-of-19 passing for 176 yards with a TD and an interception while rushing four times for 15 yards.

Toronto starter McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed 24-of-37 passes for 287 yards and a TD.

Toronto hosts the Calgary Stampeders next weekend before Hamilton returns to BMO Field on Aug. 26. The Argos and Ticats will square off in their final regular-season encounter Sept. 5 in the annual Labour Day showdown at Tim Hortons Field.

Hamilton is in Montreal next weekend before its final two regular-season meetings with Toronto.

(CP)