Just one inning left after this?

THEEIGHTHUNDERWAY

Think of the middle of a game where the next step is almost the final stretch.

This clue plays on the phrase "the eighth inning" in baseball, where teams bat in the top and bottom of each inning. "Underway" hints that the inning is currently happening, so it’s not yet the ninth (the final inning). The answer combines "the eighth" with "underway" to form a single word, making it a clever way to say "the eighth inning is in progress."