At the last edition of the competition in 2015, the Italians claimed the crown against the Dutch, ending their run of three straight titles.

However, the women in orange completed a fantastic tournament which saw them unbeaten to win back the trophy with a dominant 7-1 victory in Bollate.

Three of their runs points came in the first inning after the Dutch and this set the tone for the match.

By the time both sides had completed their third innings, The Netherlands were 6-1 up and a single in the fifth completed the rout for them.

It means The Netherlands, like Italy, have 10 European titles to their name.

The hosts earned the right to play in the final after defeating Great Britain 8-1 earlier in the day during a semi-final.

This result meant Britain finished third.

Softball will be returning to the Olympic Games sports programme at Tokyo 2020 for the first time in 12 years.

In the four previous Games were the sport featured, no medal has been won by a European team.

Italy’s fifth place at Sydney 2000 is the best performance from a European country.