ZEBULON - Heather Coghlan went home happy, so did her son, his teammates and most of the 5,667 fans in attendance Monday night for the 2008 Southern League All-Star Game at Five County Stadium.

Chris Coghlan, the home team Mudcats' starting second baseman, delivered a three-run home run and walked away with MVP honors, leading the home-standing Northern Division to a 6-1 win over the Southern Division in the 38th edition of the Double-A league's midsummer classic.

Coghlan's chance at All-Star glory got a boost when Tennessee Smokies second baseman Nate Spears took a pitch off of his wrist on Saturday. Spears told Carolina and Northern Division manager Matt Raleigh before Monday night's game that he wouldn't be able to play.

"Maybe that got Coghlan the MVP because it got him the extra at bats," Raleigh said. "Because he [Coghlan] was going to have two and Spears was going to have two."

Coghlan's three-run home run came in his third at bat of the night, scoring Huntsville's Michael Bradley and Alcides Escobar for a 5-1 North lead.

It was the biggest blast in a nine-hit Northern Division offensive attack and was even more special because it came in Heather Coghlan's first trip to Five County Stadium to see her son play.

"It was a good feeling to be able to do it here in front of our home crowd with my mom here," Coghlan said. "It was her first game here so that makes it more special."

Coghlan's shot over the right field wall came after a rare first-pitch swing at bat.

"I got fortunate and got good wood on it," Coghlan said. "It helped out, we've played Jacksonville a lot. He left one up and I just was fortunate to be able to hit it."

Most of the good wood on the Northern Division squad came from the Stars: the Huntsville Stars, that is. Escobar, Bradley and Cole Gillespie - three mainstays of Huntsville's League-leading offense - all had two hits each.

"Our guys really swung the bats," Raleigh said. "I'll call it team Huntsville because their team is so good offensively. I think they had six of our nine hits as it was."

The Northern Division offense got its share of support from the hometown boys as well. Benson native John Raynor scored the game's first run after doubling to lead off the bottom of the first inning. He came home on a shot up the middle by Escobar, the highly regarded Milwaukee Brewers' shortstop prospect.

"Unbelievable player, what an athlete he is. Offensively he swings the bat, defensively, he's as good as there is," Raleigh said of Escobar. "I knew he was good when we played them but when you watch him here and he's on your team, it's quite amazing to watch him play the game."

Escobar was part of seven infield outs for the North squad, which also turned three double plays, helping make their pitching staff's night much easier.

"That's seriously the best infield I've ever played with," Coghlan said. "[Eric] Eymann over there, he made some great plays and Escobar, he's going to be a big leaguer. And, of course, you had [the Mudcats'] Gaby [Sanchez] and Hubbard. They hit some on the ground and we made some nice plays."

Chattanooga Lookouts lefty Ben Jukich set the tone for the North pitching staff early, retiring the side in the first inning on just six pitches. He was named the game's outstanding pitcher.

"It's amazing how every ground ball is a double play," Raleigh said. "When you have such good players behind you, pitchers have so much more confidence in their team, you don't see long innings."

The Northern Division staff, which included Mudcats Willie Glenn, Jeff Gogal and Chris Mobley, held the South hitters to a single run (on a sacrifice fly) and allowed just five hits.

"Our pitching dominated," Coghlan said. "I think we played as good as you could, an all-around game."