Participating in the competition for the first time, the Dutch only played one seven-innings game all tournament with the others finishing prematurely on the mercy rule.

In the gold medal match, Russian pitcher Irina Ilyashenko was helpless in her attempts to hold the Dutch power-hitters back as she and her team fell to an 8-0 defeat.

Hosts Czech Republic came third after avenging a shock round-robin defeat against Slovakia earlier in the tournament to win 9-7. 

Poland overcame Greece 4-1 in the fifth-place playoff, while Ukraine thrashed Lithuania 10-3 in the battle to avoid finishing last.

A joint bid from men's baseball and women's softball is one of five new sports recommended for Tokyo 2020 Olympic inclusion, along with karate, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing, subject to approval at the International Olympic Committee Session in Rio de Janeiro.

Six-team tournaments have been proposed in men's baseball and women's softball, which were both axed after Beijing 2008, with baseball squads set to number 24 and softball 15.

Many of the players who participated in Pardubice will be hoping to compete at Tokyo 2020. 

Baseball's inclusion would be a bittersweet moment for the World Baseball Softball Confederation, who had hoped to have the number of teams increased from six to eight.