CARY - A week of national youth softball accompanied by enthusiastic, high-pitched infield chatter transformed Cary's Thomas E. Brooks Park into Softball City for the 2010 PONY Girls Fastpitch Nationals.

Pegasus of Chester County, Pa., won the 14-and-under title Thursday with a 2-1 win over Long Island Bandits-Smith of New York.

In the 12-and-under division, the Michigan Finesse of Oakland County, Mich., claimed a 10-0 win over the Delaware Express of Camden, Del.

This was the fourth straight year the Raleigh Jaycees hosted the event along with the town of Cary and the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The visitors bureau projects the economic impact on the area at $4 million, and the Raleigh Jaycees didn't waste time formalizing a bid for 2011, meeting with PONY officials Thursday morning.

"The tournament has been great for the area for the last four years, and we'd like to see it continue," said Carter Pettibone, chairman of the Raleigh Jaycees. "It's a win-win situation for everybody involved."

That includes area softball players, according to Bonnie Hodge, Apex High's varsity head coach, who also serves as an assistant for the Cary Crush, which participated in the tournament. "The players gain a lot from seeing this level and ability of competition," Hodge said.

The Cary Crush 14-and-under team went 5-3 before it was eliminated. Two highlights for the Crush were home runs by third baseman Lindsey Hilts and catcher Tonya Van Dyk.

Other area teams that participated were the Cary Crush 12-and-under, Apex Sting 14-and-under, Apex Express 12-and-under, N.C. Challengers 14-and-under and N.C. Challengers 12-and-under.

The North Carolina team with the most successful showing in the tournament was the JC Clippers 12-and-under.

The Clippers from Johnston County advanced to the Elite Eight before they were eliminated.