LAWRENCE, Kan. (Interstat) — In a wild, back-and-forth Big 12 Conference baseball opener that defied projections and featured 28 runs and 32 hits, Tyson LeBlanc launched a two-run, walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to complete a stunning comeback and lift the Kansas Jayhawks to a 14-12 victory over the Utah Utes on Thursday night at Hoglund Ballpark.

The game, which saw the lead change hands three times after the seventh inning, culminated in a dramatic final frame. Utah entered the bottom of the ninth clinging to a 12-11 lead, having scored three unearned runs in the top of the eighth to retake the advantage.

Kansas center fielder Tyson Owens led off the inning with a solo home run, his fifth of the season, to tie the game. The next batter, Kodey Max, followed with another solo shot to center, putting the Jayhawks ahead 13-12. After a pop out, Dylan Schlotterback homered to left field, extending the lead to 14-12. Following a fly out, John Baldridge kept the inning alive with a single, setting the stage for LeBlanc. The Kansas shortstop, who finished the night 4 for 5 with four RBIs, drove a pitch from Utah reliever Jackson Gazaway deep over the right field wall to end the game, his 11th home run of the season.

The victory improved Kansas to 20-10 overall and 4-3 in the Big 12, while Utah fell to 16-11, 4-6.

The contest was a stark contrast to its beginning. Utah’s Luke Jacobs set an immediate tone, hitting a solo home run on the game’s first pitch in the top of the first inning. The Utes built a 12-4 lead by the middle of the fifth, powered by a perfect 5-for-5, four-RBI performance from center fielder Jet Gilliam, who hit two home runs. Jacobs also had a strong night, going 4 for 6 with a home run and two RBIs.

Kansas began its methodical climb back in the bottom of the fifth, scoring five runs to cut the deficit to 12-9. The big blow was a two-run double by LeBlanc. The Jayhawks’ bullpen, led by Riane Ritter’s 2 2/3 innings of relief in which he allowed one earned run and struck out six, then quieted the Utah offense, allowing the comeback to take shape.

Utah’s three-run eighth, highlighted by Gilliam’s RBI infield single that plated two runs thanks to a throwing error, appeared to have secured the win. But Kansas’ explosive ninth, which featured four home runs, secured a memorable victory.

Ian Culver provided critical relief for Utah, throwing 1 2/3 scoreless innings with one strikeout. Sammy Cova also recorded a key out in the fifth. For Kansas, Augusto Mungarrieta hit a two-run homer in the third inning.

The game’s outcome was a reversal of pregame projections. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a 7-6 Kansas win, while its ELO system gave the Jayhawks a 62.8% probability to win, though neither forecast the offensive explosion that ensued.

The two teams continue their three-game series Friday and Saturday at Hoglund Ballpark.