TYSONS, Va. -- Rhode Island hit five home runs, including two from Scott Penney, and defeated George Mason 19-8 on Wednesday in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship at Capital One Park.

Penney finished 4-for-7 with two home runs, eight RBI and four runs scored as the fifth-seeded Rams (24-29) advanced in the double-elimination tournament. Rhode Island scored in six different innings and finished with 20 hits.

Rhody advances to face top-seeded Saint Joseph’s Thursday at 11:00 am. The Patriots fall into the consolation bracket and will play again Wednesday evening in an elimination game.

The Rams took control early. After the teams swapped runs in the second inning, Rhode Island exploded for five runs in the top of the third inning, sparked by Penney’s lead-off solo home run. Jack Hopko then hit an RBI single to right center, scoring Ryan Thompson. After a pitching change, Ryan King crushed a three-run shot over the left field wall and Rhody was off to the races.

George Mason (28-25) answered with runs in the bottom of the third and fourth innings. A groundout by Owen Clyne that scored Jackson Morse, and an RBI single by Evan Blanchard, drove in Luciano Terilli to add to Mason’s total. The Patriots were led offensively by Jake Butler and Morse, both of whom had two hits.

Rhode Island responded immediately in the sixth inning on a pair of RBI singles, one by Hopko and the other by Danny Leikus, and a bases-clearing triple by Penney, totaling six runs and pushing its lead to 13-3. Penney and Hopko led a Rhody offense that had five players record two or more hits. Hopko was 5-for-5 with three RBI and Reece Moroney was 3-for-6.

Both teams traded runs the rest of the way, including tallying four runs each in the seventh inning.

Rhody reliever Parker Aikens (2-1) went 2.1 innings, surrendering two hits and one run with a trio of strikeouts. Starter Jake Drumm (4-3), one of six pitchers the Patriots employed, took the loss, allowing eight hits and six runs with three strikeouts.