A best-of-five series for the Frontier League championship has become a best-of-three showdown.

Rebounding from a tough Game 1 loss on Wednesday night, the Schaumburg Boomers broke open a tie game late and ultimately blew out the Quebec Capitales, 9-1, to even the series at one game apiece. The remainder of the series heads to Canada, resuming Saturday night.

A solid starting pitching matchup in Game 2 largely lived up to the billing, with Schaumburg's Shumpei Yoshikawa and Quebec's Codie Paiva nearly matching each other pitch for pitch through the first five innings.  

William Salas' home run off Paiva to lead off the third opened up the scoring for Schaumburg on Thursday, and Yoshikawa held down the fort through the duration of his 5 1/3-inning outing, allowing just three hits and two walks, while striking out five and keeping the Capitales off the scoreboard.

Thomas Nicoll entered the game in relief of Yoshikawa and recorded the last two outs of the sixth without issue, but he wasn't so lucky in the seventh, when a fielding error by first baseman Braxton Davidson allowed Jonathan Lacroix to plate an unearned run, tying the game at 1-1.

Paiva had allowed just that one run through six innings, but he may have been left in a bit too long. He allowed back-to-back leadoff singles by Clint Hardy and Blake Berry, who were advanced to second and third, respectively, on the ensuing sacrifice bunt by Salas.  

Brett Milazzo delivered the big blow, plating Hardy and Berry to give the Boomers a lead they wouldn't relinquish, a play compounded by an error by Paiva that allowed Milazzo to advance to second.

It was the last batter he'd face. 

Samuel Adames recorded the final two outs of the inning but subsequently allowed the first five men he faced in the eighth to reach base. Mike Hart's two-run double upped Schaumburg's advantage to 5-1, and reliever Ian Codina allowed all three of his inherited runners to score - on a Salas sac fly and Milazzo two-run triple - before Alec Craig tacked on one final run with a sac fly of his own.

Kristian Scott and Darrell Thompson combined to spin a scoreless final two frames to seal the win for the Boomers.